Fury
by winchesterlove94
Summary: Dean has always protected Sam. But when a witch hunt goes wrong, Dean is put under a spell, making him grow angrier and angrier. Will Sam be able to survive his brothers' rage? Or will the one person sworn to protect Sam, be the person to end his life?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So this story takes place sometime in the first season! **

**Dean is 26 and Sam is 22. **

**Enjoy!**

"I friggin' hate witches." Dean muttered grudgingly, as he drove the Impala down a winding dirt road.

"We don't even know if this girl really is a witch Dean. We could be wrong." Sam reasoned, glancing at his brother before focusing back to the map in his hands.

"Well then I friggin' hate girls who impersonate witches."

"Make a left at your next turn and then a right. The house should be there." Sam sighed, shutting off his flashlight while Dean did as directed. "So what's the plan?"

Dean pursed his lips in thought.

The brothers' latest job had taken them to the town of Havre, Montana. Over the past month, there had been several mysterious deaths and disappearances, peaking the Winchesters' curiosity. After visiting the crime scenes and traveling around the town, all signs pointed to there being a witch behind it all.

Dean and Sam had interviewed a couple of people and had found out that these sudden occurrences had begun soon after a girl named Whitney Parker had arrived in town. According to people throughout the town, Whitney rarely left her house and when she was out and about, she was always under suspicious behavior. The brothers weren't sure if this girl was the witch or not, but it was worth checking out.

"I say we scope around her house. If we come across something, we'll gank the bitch." Dean said with a shrug. Sam scoffed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his brother.

"Sounds good. Okay, that's the house up there." Sam pointed out, motioning with his hand to the dirt driveway coming into view.

"Well this is a shocker. A creepy, dark driveway in the middle of bum-fucking-nowhere." Dean muttered as he pulled the Impala down the driveway.

It was almost two in the morning as the brothers approached the house where the supposed witch lived. They hoped that Whitney had already gone to bed, that way checking the area out would be much easier.

But when did things ever go the Winchesters' way?

Dean slowly pulled the car to a stop, just outside the property of the house.

"Let's go." Dean said as the brothers exited the Impala and headed to the trunk of the car. They shuffled through the various array of weapons sorted in the trunk, before grabbing their guns.

"It's kinda fishy, don't you think?" Sam questioned in a wary voice.

"What?" Dean asked as he slammed the trunk shut as quietly as possible.

"Like, where this house is. It's literally in the middle of nowhere. I mean, it's just kinda weird. This girl lives in this huge town, full of unoccupied houses, and she chooses to live in the middle of the forest."

"I guess." Dean said, nodding his head slowly. "But this Whitney girl could just be a freak. I bet you two would get along great." He proposed with a wink.

"Shut up." Sam grumbled, rolling his eyes as the brothers began to make their way towards the house. After trudging through a few rows of trees, the house came into view.

"Surprise, surprise." Dean muttered as they looked at the house in the middle of the clearing. It was a broken down, two story house laced in cobwebs. A stereotypical home of a witch. "Seriously man, I'm so sick of these sketchy houses. For once, I'd love to-"

Dean was cut off when Sam grabbed his arm and yanked him to the ground. He hit the floor with the thud and glanced incredulously at Sam, who put a finger up to his lip to silence Dean. Sam pointed to the house with his finger as Dean followed his brother's gaze.

There was light seeping out of one of the first floor window, and a shadow could be seen pacing back and forth. A girl suddenly appeared at the window, staring in the direction of the unmoving brothers. The girl, who could only be Whitney, slowly moved away from the window and out of sight.

"What the hell is she doing up? It's two is morning." Sam whispered disbelievingly. The brothers' shared a suspicious look before Dean spoke.

"Come on." Dean said in a hushed tone as he got up silently, Sam doing the same.

They stayed low as they quickly approached the house. The brothers' pressed their backs up against the house as they moved stealthily along the side of it, their guns aimed and ready. Dean suddenly halted to a stop, Sam bumping into him in the process. Dean put a finger to his lips before pointing to the basement window, where a light was suddenly flicked on.

Dean quickly jumped to the other side of the window, before both of the brothers' laid down on their stomachs to see what was going on in the basement.

A girl in her mid-20s' was standing over a table, shuffling through the pages of a giant book. Something about the way she moved stuck a chord with the Winchesters. They glanced around the basement, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Not until the girl moved away from the table.

There were various dead animals scattered across the table. Blood was splattered all over the floor and wall behind the table. Next to the animals, was a large, ancient looking book. Strewn across the table, were also several, small brown bags.

"Hex bags?" Sam mouthed, glancing at Dean. He nodded his head slowly.

"I'm guessing we found our witch." He noted in a quiet voice. Whitney moved back in front of the table, her back to Dean and Sam. Dean caught Sam's eyes and motioned with his hands for Sam to go around back, while he would go through the front, just in case Whitney figured out the brothers were there and tried to escape. Sam nodded silently and pulled himself off the ground before disappearing around the house.

Dean crept to the front of the house and made his way to one of the open windows on the first floor. He pulled himself inside, tip toeing through the living room and into the kitchen. Sam came into view a few moments later as they met in front of the door that most likely led to the basement. Dean pulled the door open quickly, to avoid creaking, before standing still.

It was too quiet.

He turned to Sam and gave him a confused look when suddenly, a figure appeared behind Sam.

"Sam! Drop!" Dean shouted as he aimed his gun behind Sam, who instantly dropped to the ground. Before Dean could take a shot at the figure, he felt a powerful force shove him backwards. His gun flew out of his hand as he tumbled backwards down the stairs, before landing in a heap at the bottom.

"Dean!" Sam shouted before he turned around to face the person behind him.

It was Whitney.

"Hey Sam." She purred as she placed her hands on her hips, her bright blue eyes blazing into his.

Sam pulled up his gun to shoot at the witch, but it was yanked out of his hands and into Whitney's.

"Come on now. Let's be civilized adults."

"Civilized adults?" Sam scoffed humorlessly. "You just threw my brother down a flight of stairs." He exclaimed, trying to keep the fear and worry for his brother out of his voice.

"Yeah...Well, he was asking for it." Whitney said with a shrug, as she pushed her fiery red hair out of her eyes. "Did you two honestly think I wouldn't know you were coming? I could have smelled you hunters a mile away." She spit out.

"Yeah? Then you might want to learn how to cover your tracks better." Sam hissed. Whitney glowered at him before placing the gun on the counter behind her.

"Well, at least-"

Before Whitney could finish her sentence, Sam took this moment to attack. He landed a hard kick to the witches' stomach, sending her flying backwards. She fell to the ground, gasping for air and clutching her stomach. Sam spun around and tore down the stairs, crouching beside his brother.

"Dean, come on man, wake up." Sam urged, shaking his brother as he glanced up the stairs to see if Whitney recovered. Dean's eyes remained shut as Sam shook him. "Dean, please. Dean!" Sam yelled, when finally his brother began to stir. Dean opened his eyes slowly as he looked around disoriented.

"Sam?" He questioned as he squinted up at his brother. Sam let out a sigh of relief as he nodded his head.

"Yeah. Come on. Can you get up?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Dean mumbled as Sam helped him to his feet. Dean swayed on his feet for a moment, before Sam steadied him. He saw that Dean had a gash on his forehead and some bruising, but other than that, seemed okay. "Where's the bitch?"

"Upstairs." Sam replied, motioning up the stairs.

"Where's my gun?" Dean asked, glancing around.

"Shit." Sam muttered as they began searching for something they could use to kill the witch.

"That wasn't very nice Sam." Whitney's voice suddenly rang out as Dean and Sam shot their heads up. The witch was leaning against the wall with Dean's gun in hand. Dean took a protective stance in front of Sam and glared at the witch. "Ah Dean, how was your fall?"

"Fantastic. I really caught some air going down those stairs." Dean muttered sarcastically. Whitney barked a laugh as she took a step forward. She outstretched one of her hands and the brother's flew into the wall behind them, being held there by an invisible force.

"I've heard a lot about you Winchesters. You two brothers make quite the team, don't you? And you boys came all the way out here just to visit me?"

"Don't flatter yourself bitch. We're not here for a visit." Dean growled.

"John Winchester is like a legend to you hunters, isn't he?" She continued, ignoring Dean. "And his two sons are following his footsteps. That's just precious." Whitney cooed, tilting her head to the side to observe the brothers.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Dean hissed, growing uncomfortable under the witches stare. Whitney smirked at Dean before walking over to the table full of her witchcraft supplies. Sam shot Dean a frantic look at the feeling of being trapped. "It's okay Sammy, I'm gonna get us out of here." Dean whispered determinedly.

Whitney suddenly turned around and looked back and forth between the brothers, a plan formulating in her mind.

"You know what? I'm not gonna kill you two." She said suddenly, her eyes calculating deviously. Whitney moved her hand in Sam's direction and flung it to the side, Sam's body doing the same, as he crashed into the bookshelf on the other side of the room.

"Sammy!" Dean roared furiously. "You leave him alone, you son of a bitch!"

Whitney slowly approached Dean until she was inches from his face.

"I'm not gonna kill your brother, Dean." Whitney assured with a sneer. She suddenly grabbed Dean's head with both of her hands as they locked eyes. "You are."

Dean struggled to pull away, but to no avail. Whitney yanked Dean's head towards her as she began to mumble quietly under her breath. Dean suddenly felt a burning sensation growing in the pit of his stomach. Everything around Dean began to fade away, besides the incoherent words flowing out of the witches' mouth.

Sam groaned as he struggled to push the bookshelf off of him. He squeezed his way out from underneath the rubble before glancing around, trying to find Dean.

"No! Dean!" Sam screamed as he saw the witch let go of Dean's head as he fell from the wall and to the ground. Whitney glanced at Sam and smile wickedly before she sprinted up the stairs and out of the house. "Dean!" Sam yelled again, rushing to his brothers' side. "Hey Dean, can you hear me?" He questioned frantically.

Dean's eyes were open, but they were transfixed straight ahead. This scared Sam more than if his eyes were closed.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, snapping his fingers in front of Dean's face. Dean suddenly came back to reality and blinked rapidly a few times.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah. Dean, are you okay?" Sam asked, as he helped Dean up.

"Yeah...What the hell just happened?" He questioned, running a hand over his face.

"I don't know man. Let's just get the hell out of here." Sam urged, a weird feeling growing in his gut.

"Alright." Dean agreed as they made their way up the stairs and out of the house.

"You got a nasty cut on your head Dean. I'll drive, just in case you have a concussion or something from when you fell down the stairs." Sam offered gently, not wanting anything else bad to happen tonight. Dean spun around and glared at Sam.

"I'm perfectly capable to drive Sam. Jesus, stop acting like such a God damn Mother Hen." Dean snapped harshly. Sam felt his mouth drop open at Dean's rough tone and stared at his brother. Dean blinked a few times before shaking his head quickly. "Whoa, I-I'm sorry Sammy. I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's okay Dean." Sam cut in earnestly. "But I really think I should drive."

"Yeah, okay." Dean said slowly, tossing the keys over to Sam as they got in the car.

"Are you sure you're alright man?" Sam asked.

"I'm good Sammy. Let's just get back to the motel." Dean reassured as he stared out the window. Sam watched his brother for a moment before starting the car and driving away from the witches' house.

Dean couldn't help but feel this growing, burning, intense feeling begin to well up inside of him...

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

Whitney watched the Winchester brother's pull away as a grin stretched across her face.

She could have killed the two morons when she had the chance, but no. This was way better than killing the legendary brothers herself.

Watching Dean kill his own brother, then taking his own life at the sheer guilt of the murder would be quite a sight to see.

But for now, all she could do was wait for her spell to fully take effect on the older brother.

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thank you all who reviewed and responded! You are all amazing!**

**I am SO sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up, but I've been pretty busy lately. Anyway, no excuses :)**

**Here's the next chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

The drive back to the motel room was completely silent. Dean didn't even bother to turn on his music, and that in itself, freaked Sam out even more than he already was.

"So..." Sam started awkwardly, the heavy silence becoming too much for him to bear. "Are you sure you're feeling okay Dean?"

Dean slowly turned his head and just stared at his brother.

"I'm fine." He responded monotonously, his voice and face empty of any emotion, before he turned his head and continued to stare out the window.

"When we get back to the motel, make sure you clean up that gash on your head." Sam pointed out. Dean wordlessly nodded his head, not bothering to respond with anything else.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Something was definitely off with his brother. He knew Dean better than anyone, and something was wrong. But he didn't know exactly what.

"Hey Dean-"

"What Sam?" Dean cut in sharply, snapping his head in Sam's direction with an impatient look on his face.

"Uh...uh-" Sam stammered, momentarily taken back.

"Are you just gonna stutter all night or did you actually have something to say?" Dean hissed defensively, glaring at his brother. Sam gulped aloud and stared incredulously at his brother.

"Uh, I was just gonna ask you something about what happened back at the witches house."

"...And?" Dean grunted in annoyance.

"Uhm...Well, when that witch threw me across the room and into the bookshelf...what did she do to you? I saw her in front of you...and I just wanted to know what happened." Sam said softly.

"I don't know." Dean huffed. "The bitch just came over and muttered something to me, and then everything went fuzzy."

"Well, what did she say to you Dean? Was it a spell or something?" Sam questioned worriedly.

"God Sam, I don't fucking know! I'm not a fucking witch translator!"

"Jesus Christ Dean, relax! I was just asking!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows and blinked a few times before shaking his head quickly.

"Sorry Sammy. I-I don't know what's going on with me." Dean replied as he ran a hand over his face, his voice sounding more like the one he usually used towards his brother.

He didn't know what was happening to him. One moment he would feel fine, and then the next moment, all he could see was red. This boiling fury would well up inside of him, and no matter how hard he tried to hold it back, it just came spilling out. It was like he knew exactly what he was saying and doing, but he couldn't control it.

What scared him the most though, was that with each outburst, it was getting harder and harder for him to stop it.

"It's okay Dean. We'll figure it out." Sam reassured.

"I probably just need sleep or something."

"Yeah. Probably." Sam agreed, not fully believing it though. He kept his mouth shut until they reached the motel, not wanting Dean to go off on him again.

Sam pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the motel they had been staying in, and parked it outside of their room. Both brothers wordlessly got out of the car, each secluded in their own thoughts.

"Awh, come on. Damn it." Dean muttered under his breath, as he stared at his arm. Sam shot a worried glanced at his brother as he rounded the car to stand by Dean.

"What's wrong?"

"That bitch made me rip my leather jacket!" Dean exclaimed, pointing to the tear on his sleeve. "When we find her, I'm making her buy me another jacket before we kill her." He muttered before flashing Sam a goofy smile. Sam grinned at his brother, glad that he was acting more like himself.

"Dude, it's just a jacket. Get over it." Sam retorted as they began walking towards their room.

A guy in his late teens came walking past them, and Sam gave him a nod of acknowledgment. He recognized the guy as one of the front desk workers of the motel, whose name was Kyle. The teen shot Sam a quick smirk before he opened the can of soda he had in his hands.

"No, no, no. This is not _just_ a jacket. It's my favorite-" Dean was too busy examining the sleeve of his jacket to see Kyle walking in the opposite direction. Dean was cut off when he and Kyle accidently bumped into each other.

"Sorry man." Kyle said sincerely before turning back around and continuing to walk away. Dean froze in place before he rapidly spun around and grabbed Kyle by the shoulder, turning him around so they faced each other.

"What the fuck is your problem asshole?" Dean growled menacingly, gripping the collar of Kyle's jacket roughly. Kyle's face paled considerably as he opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. The can of soda dropped from his hand and spilled over the ground.

"I-I-"

"Dean, let him go!" Sam exclaimed, rushing over to his brother to try to pry his hands off the terrified teen. But Dean's hold was strong as he shook the poor kid violently. "Dean!" Sam yelled, unable to get his brothers attention. There was something in Deans' eyes that chilled Sam to the bone. That made the weird feeling in the pit of his stomach growing bigger.

It was a look of pure evil.

Dean suddenly shoved Kyle to the ground and glowered at him. Kyle scrambled backwards before he shot to his feet and sprinted away. Sam moved to stand in front of his brother and gave him an incredulous look.

"What the hell Dean!" Sam exclaimed. Dean shot his brother a disgusted look before he turned around and stalked off towards their motel room. "Hey! We're not done talking!" Sam shouted, grabbing Dean's shoulder and spinning him around so the brothers faced each other.

"Yes we are." Dean hissed as he knocked Sam's hand off of him.

"Dean, something is seriously wrong with you. That witch must have bewitched you or something back at that house. You're not yourself." Sam protested worriedly.

"Fuck off Sam." Dean snarled viciously.

"No man, you're not yourself right now. I'm gonna call Bobby, and we'll figure out a way to reverse whatever the witch did." Sam said quickly, pulling his cell phone out from his jacket pocket. Before Sam could dial Bobby's number, Dean ripped the phone from Sam's grasp and slammed it into the ground, shattering it to pieces. Sam stared at the ground in shock before he slowly lifted his head and looked at his brother, who was glaring at him. "What the fuck Dean!" Sam yelled.

"There's nothing wrong with me Sam." Dean replied in a cold voice. "Just because I'm not treating you like I'm your god damn mommy, doesn't mean something's wrong with me. Grow the fuck up!" He seethed before turning on his heels and leaving Sam alone in the parking lot.

Sam hung his head back and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He heard a door slam shut, indicating that Dean was already inside their motel room. Sam took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, before heading to their room.

He opened the door slowly and saw Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, with a puzzled expression.

"Dean?" Sam asked softly, as his brother slowly lifted his head and stared at Sam.

"Sammy, something's wrong." Dean whispered. Sam quickly approached his brother, sitting on the bed opposite from him.

"It's okay man, we're gonna figure everything out." Sam promised as he studied Dean's expression.

"I don't feel right Sammy. Something's wrong with me." Dean continued guiltily, staring at his hands.

"I know. Did the witch do something to you at the house?" Sam questioned in a gentle voice, hoping to get answers from Dean when he was somewhat normal acting. Dean thought for a minute before nodding his head slowly.

"I think so. She must have done a spell or something." He admitted, running a hand over his face. "Sammy, you should go."

"What'd you mean?" Sam said with a confused expression.

"You need to leave man. You can't be around me right now. I'm gonna end up hurting you. Please, just leave. Go to Bobby's for a while and figure out how to fix this." Dean said, giving his brother a pleading glance.

"No way Dean. There's no way in Hell I'm leaving you." Sam protested, shaking his head quickly.

"Look, all I'm asking is that you leave for a few days. Just so you and Bobby can figure out how to reverse the spell. It's not safe to be around me right now." Dean continued, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt another wave of fury taking over.

"No Dean. I'm not leaving you alone here. We will figure this out together, but until then-"

Dean shot up from the bed, grabbing Sam by the collar of his jacket and yanking him to his feet.

"I said get the fuck out!" Dean shouted, shaking Sam roughly as the younger brother tried to pull away.

"Dean-" Sam exclaimed fearfully, trying to get loose from his brothers hold.

"Why don't you just stay the hell away from me for good! I'm sick of dragging your stubborn, sorry ass around all the time anyway!" Dean growled, as the fire in his belly grew.

"This isn't you talking, okay. Let's just go to Bobby's and he can help. Please." Sam pleaded, giving Dean the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

A flicker of the old Dean flashed in the older brothers' eyes before they were masked once again with rage. Dean shoved Sam away, his body colliding into the small kitchen table. Sam caught himself before he fell and stood up shakily.

"My entire life I've had to watch out for you. Well, I'm fucking sick of it! I want to live my own life too! My life doesn't revolve around you!" Dean roared, grabbing the lamp between the two beds and flinging it at his brother across the room.

Sam ducked just in time as the lamp crashed into the wall, breaking into pieces. He slowly stood up, staring at Dean with terror.

"Don't you think I wanted to go to college? Don't you think I wanted to have a normal life? But no, I was stuck having to protect a little spoiled brat!" He screamed, taking a step towards Sam, his hands balled into fists at his side as he shook with anger.

Sam held up his hands in front of him as he moved slowly away from Dean.

"Dean, please." Sam begged. "You're scaring me."

"Oh boo-who. Stop being such a fucking baby!" Dean yelled maliciously. "What, you're gonna cry about it?" He taunted, smirking mercilessly at Sam.

"Dean, please." Sam pleaded, feeling helpless as the brother's began circling each other around the small room.

"Your one selfish son of a bitch. Abandoning your family like you did to go to college...You don't think I wanted to leave too? Well I did, but I had a responsibility here! I'm not a self-centered bastard like you!" Dean continued relentlessly.

Sam forced back the tears that pooled his eyes and swallowed loudly.

"This is your fault. The reason we hunt for a living...it's your fault. This is all your fault." Dean snarled in a low voice before he shot his brother a hate filled look. With that, he turned his back on Sam and stormed into the bathroom, forcefully shutting the door.

Sam jumped at the sound of the slamming door and stared at where Dean had stood in a daze. He took in a shaky breath as he moved towards one of the beds, sitting down heavily onto it. He dropped his head into his hands, pushing back the lump growing in his throat.

He could hear Dean shuffling around in the bathroom, most likely looking for something to clean the cut on his forehead with. Sam raised his head and took a deep breath, calming himself down. He spotted Dean's phone laying on the opposite and quickly grabbed it.

Sam couldn't do this alone. Things were going bad fast and he needed help.

Sam silently crept to the door and snuck outside, quietly shutting the motel door behind him. He stood outside the room as he dialed Bobby Singer's number, an old family friend, and prayed that he would pick up. Sam nearly wept with relief when he heard the phone being picked up.

_"Hello?"_ A gruff voice sounded over the other end.

"Bobby, its Sam." Sam whispered in a hushed voice, just in case Dean could hear him from inside the room. "We have a problem."

**Please review more! :)**

**P.S. Ahh! Season 6 finale was awesome! What'd you all think?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Thank you all SO much for your amazing reviews and responses! I really appreciate it!**

**This chapter's kinda short, but I promised I'll make it up to you!**

**Enjoy!**

_"What'd you mean we have a problem? And boy, why are you whispering?" Bobby questioned in confusion._

"Something happened to Dean, Bobby." Sam continued quietly. He heard the old hunter mutter something that sounded along the lines of "Balls", before he spoke up again.

_"What happened? Are you boys okay?" Bobby asked worriedly. Although he and John may not be on the best terms at the moment, it didn't mean that he didn't care about those two boys. Hell, he even thought of Dean and Sam as his own._

"Bobby, I-I don't know what to do. D-Dean...he's..." Sam started, before his voice trailed off.

_"Sam, focus." Bobby cut in, bringing Sam back to their conversation. "Listen son, I can't help you unless I know what's going on. Now what happened?" He asked again, more firmly._

Sam took a deep breath to compose himself before he told Bobby everything that happened. Bobby sat silently on the line and listened to the youngest Winchester explain how the witch hunt he and his brother had been on, turned sour.

"And that witch must have done something to Dean, because something's wrong with him." Sam finished, pushing back the lump in his throat.

_"Well what's wrong with him?" Bobby questioned._

"I'm not sure. He's just like...furious. He randomly flips shit and its bad Bobby. It's really bad. And it's getting worse. And no matter what, I can't pull him out of it." Sam whispered, shutting his eyes tightly.

_"Does he ever bounce back?"_

"He has a few times. Dean said that he knows what he's saying and doing but he can't control it. But the amount of time he's back to normal keeps getting shorter and shorter." Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair.

_"Alright. Do you have any idea where the witch is?" Bobby asked, sitting down heavily at his kitchen table._

"No. But the witch isn't really my concern right now Bobby." Sam retorted, a hint of annoyance in his voice. How could Bobby possibly be thinking about finding the witch when Dean was the one who was really in trouble?

_"I know son, but finding the witch may be the only way to reverse the spell." Bobby pointed out. He heard Sam take a deep breath before speaking up again._

"Okay. But just look around your place and see if you can find anything else to help Dean or reverse the spell without finding the witch. I guess we'll just try to wait it out here." Sam replied.

_"Sam, I know you don't wanna leave your brother, but if he's getting worse by the hour, maybe it's best if you head on up here…for your own safety." Bobby proposed, his fatherly instinct for the boys kicking in._

"I'm not leaving my brother here alone!" Sam exclaimed incredulously.

_"I know you don't want to, but I bet Dean would want you to if he-"_

"Bobby, if I leave him alone here, then any person Dean comes into contact with is in danger." Sam argued stubbornly. "At least I know how to handle my brother. I'll be fine."

_"Are you sure? I really think-"_

"I'm sure. I'm not leaving him." Sam said with finality.

_Bobby sighed and pulled off his cap, scratching the top of his head absentmindedly. There was no getting through the youngest Winchester when he had his mind made up. Especially if the situation involved Dean, then Sam could be the most stubborn person in the world._

_"Where are you boys, anyway?" Bobby questioned._

"We're in Havre, Montana. In the _Blue Days_ motel." Sam informed.

_"Okay. I'll call you if I find anything in my books. But if things get out of hand, call me, you hear?"_

"Uhm…that might be difficult."

_"What'd you mean?"_

"My phones...uhm...broken, so I'm using Dean's. But he doesn't know it..." Sam explained, remembering how Dean had destroyed his Blackberry earlier.

_"Damn it." Bobby cursed, running a hand over his face. "Well, call me when you get the chance then."_

"Okay. And thanks Bobby."

_"Just be careful, and keep an eye on your brother." Bobby sighed before hanging up the phone. "Idjits."_

Sam exhaled heavily as he snapped Dean's phone shut. To be honest with himself, he was downright terrified. Mostly because of what was happening to his brother, but also because of what he knew Dean was capable of. But nonetheless, Dean was his big brother, and if the roles were reversed, Sam knew that Dean would stay by his side no matter what.

He opened the motel door slowly and peaked his head inside, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the shower on. Sam placed his brothers' phone exactly where he found it, before sitting on the opposite bed.

He stared at the bathroom door, waiting to hear the shower shut off. Sam bounced his knee up and down anxiously, something he always did when he was nervous, as he bit the nail of his thumb.

The shower turned off and Sam went still.

He held his breath as he waited for his brother to come out of the bathroom. Sam suddenly heard a loud crash and banging around as he instantly shot to his feet.

The door swung open and Dean came stumbling out, leaning heavily against the door frame as his legs gave out from under him. He slid to his knees as his breathing quickened and a pained expression came across his face.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he rushed towards his brother, crouching down in front of him. He grabbed Dean by the shoulders and shook him gently. Dean glanced up at Sam from under his eyelashes and wrapped an arm around his stomach.

"S-Sam..." Dean stuttered as he groaned in pain, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

"Hey, hey, hey, relax man. I'm right here. What's wrong Dean?" Sam questioned worriedly, trying to keep the panic from his voice.

"Oh god…" Dean groaned as another wave of intense pain shot through his stomach.

"Dean, what's the matter?" Sam asked again, a bad feeling sinking into his gut. He didn't like the way Dean's face had suddenly paled and his eyes glazed over, before the older brother bowed his head to his chest and went still. "Dean?"

No response.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed frantically, trying to get some sort of response from his brother.

Dean suddenly snapped his head up, a wicked sneer etched onto his face. Before Sam could process what was happening, he felt himself flying backwards from a swift upper punch from Dean. Sam landed on his back with a thud and grabbed his chin that was surely already bruising.

Dean shot up to his feet and rapidly approached Sam, who quickly began scooting backwards.

"Dean-" Sam began as he shakily rose to his feet. "Come on man, snap out of it." He begged as Dean threw himself at Sam. Sam quickly dodged the attack and jumped to the other side of the room.

"Sorry Sammy boy, but I'm not snapping out of it this time around." Dean hissed as the brothers began to circle each other around the small room.

"Dean, I know you can-"

Sam barely got the last word out of his mouth before Dean charged him once again, successfully shoving Sam into the wall behind him. Dean landed a hard punch to Sam's face, followed by a series of painful hits all over Sam's body.

Both brothers had been trained to know the best ways to cause the most pain to your opponent, and Dean's years of training were kicking in.

Sam dropped to the ground; curling inwardly was he tried to block Dean's blows. Every part of him screamed to fight back, but something was holding him back. He just couldn't bring himself to hit Dean, so he took the punches in silence.

Dean grabbed Sam by the hair and dragged him to the middle of the room; Sam biting back the painful scream rising to his throat.

"Dean, please." Sam pleaded, his breathing heavy as blood flowed down the side of his face.

Dean barely spared his younger brother a glance before he threw down his fist to Sam's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Sam gasped for air and grabbed his stomach while Dean stood hovering above him. He smirked down at Sam before he turned around and headed for the door.

"No!" Sam cried out, using his last bit of strength to pull himself up off the ground and jump at his brother.

If Dean left the motel room, anyone could become a victim to his rage, and Sam would be damned if he let anyone else get hurt.

Dean quickly spun around and grabbed Sam by the neck, slamming him into the motel door.

"Fine then! We can just have some more fun, just the two of us." Dean growled, yanking Sam off the door and shoving him across the room.

Sam grabbed the edge of the bed for support, before regaining his balance.

"Dean, you can fight this." Sam encouraged desperately as Dean sneered at him and nonchalantly walked over to one of the beds. He snatched his cell phone from the bed and flipped it open. Sam's stomach dropped as he gulped aloud. "Dean, please. You gotta fight this. You're strong enough."

Dean stopped what he was doing and stared at the screen of his phone. He slowly lifted his head and glared in Sam's direction.

"Did you call Bobby?" Dean questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. Sam's eyes widened as he shook his head slowly. "That's funny because it says that someone did, and I sure as hell didn't." He hissed, throwing down his phone onto the bed.

"Please-"

"Oh shut up Sam." Dean seethed.

"But Dean-"

"I said shut the fuck up!" He roared as he walked towards his brother. Sam involuntarily cringed as Dean approached him, and it nearly broke his heart. He wanted his big brother back.

He needed his big brother back.

"Dean, you gotta fight it." Sam whispered pleadingly.

Dean grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall, his furious green eyes boring into Sam's terrified ones. He began to squeeze harder and harder as Sam tried to gasp for air. Sam attempted to pry Dean's hands off his neck, but to no avail. Dean let go at the last second as Sam inhaled a huge gulp of air and slid to the floor.

"You deserve all of this, you know." Dean snarled. "It's your fault. It's your fault mom's dead, it's your fault we live this life, it's your fault dad's missing, it's your fault Jess was killed, everything's your fault."

"Stop." Sam whispered, staring at the ground as tears filled his eyes.

"I bottle up all this…this _hatred_ towards you and I'm sick of it Sam." Dean continued mercilessly. Sam's head snapped up at the word _hatred._

"No…"

"It's time to get our real feelings out in the open, right Sam? Well here are mine." Dean growled as he leaned in closer to Sam's face so they were looking eye to eye. "You're the biggest burden and I'm the one stuck with it. You were never my kid brother…you were always just an obligation. And you held me back from living my life…I hate you Sam. I really hate you."

Sam felt his mouth drop open and his heart shatter to pieces.

He searched in Dean's eyes for any sign of remorse or falseness.

Sam saw nothing but honesty and brutal sincerity.

"And now…I think it's time that I get rid of this burden."

The last thing Sam saw was Dean's fist hurtling towards his face and the look of pure disgust in his brother's eyes, before everything went black and darkness took over.

**Please, please review more!**

**Thanks! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Holy crap. I can't believe I wrote this chapter so fast. The words just kept flowing and so I kept writing.**

**I actually love this chapter alot. I finally found one I am really proud of!**

**So I hope you enjoy it as much as I liked writing it!**

**And thank you to all the amazing responses!**

Sam awoke with a start, gasping as his head snapped up. He blinked quickly a couple of times to clear his fuzzy vision. He softly groaned when an overwhelming amount of pain hit him from every part of his body. Sam tried to move, but he realized he was stuck.

"What the-" Sam whispered as he yanked at his hands that were tied behind his back.

He was still in the motel room, but now he was placed in the middle of the room with his hands, legs and body bound to the chair he was sitting on.

Everything came rushing back to Sam and he frantically searched the room for Dean, praying that he hadn't left the motel. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Dean by the window, his back to Sam.

"It's about fucking time." Dean growled without turning around. Sam gulped audibly as spotted the gleam of a knife in Dean's hand.

"Dean, just untie me and we can talk." Sam reasoned in a quiet voice. The older brother slowly turned around and glared at Sam.

Sam's stomach dropped to the floor when he saw Dean's face.

His brother was gone.

There was no 'big brother Dean' left in those green eyes.

"Oh trust me, we'll be talking." Dean maliciously promised, approaching Sam.

He stood in front of his brother and without warning, threw a punch at Sam's face. Sam grunted at the impact before shaking it off. Dean slowly leaned down so he and Sam were face to face.

"I don't know why I didn't just get rid of you years ago." He mused. "Think of everything I could have accomplished."

"This isn't you talking." Sam mumbled, casting his eyes downward, knowing that trying to talk to Dean would be useless.

"But it is Sam. I'm just saying everything I've been bottling up."

"This isn't you." Sam whispered, hoping that if he said it enough times, it would be true. Dean grabbed Sam by the hair and yanked his head back.

"Get this through your thick skull!" Dean snarled, pulling Sam's head back farther as a cry of pain escaped the younger brother's mouth. "It's me, only I'm not treating you like your fucking three years old!"

Dean roughly let go of Sam's head and stood up straighter.

"You know, I know the real reason why dad's been gone."

Sam didn't respond and just stared at his brother through pleading eyes.

"It's because of you." Dean muttered in disgust, leaning forward and placing his hands on his knees. "He's sick of dragging your sorry ass everywhere." He continued, bringing the sharpened knife close to his face and examining it. "I bet after I kill you and call dad, he'll come back. He's gonna be so proud of me."

Dean brought the knife to Sam's arm, putting enough pressure to break skin, as he glided the knife down his brother's arm. Sam clenched his teeth together as he bit back a scream. Dean smirked at Sam before he stood up again, starting to slowly walking around the chair.

"Dad has always been more proud of me than you. You know it, I know it, and dad knows it."

"Please stop-" Sam begged, squeezing his eyes shut. Dean leaned in behind Sam and spoke in his ear,

"I've always been the favorite son." Dean hissed. Sam dropped his head to his chest and fought back the tears welling in his eyes. He didn't think he could take too much more of this. Dean was hitting every open wound he could think of with every vicious word. "Hell, I bet dad would even be _happy_ you were dead. Kinda like karma, don't you think?"

Dean continued to circle Sam, twirling the knife around as he walked.

"What'd you mean?" Sam questioned in a broken voice.

"You see, mom died because of you. You were the one who was supposed to be killed that night, not her. How can you live with yourself?" Dean growled. Sam raised his head slowly and stared at his brother with hopeless eyes.

"Why don't you just get this over with already?" Sam asked in a defeated voice. He couldn't handle his brother's words anymore.

"If you say so." Dean said with a shrug before walking behind Sam. Sam shut his eyes tightly and bowed his head, waiting for the final blow.

Sam felt the knife by his hands, when suddenly, he heard the rope being ripped and his arms fell free. He opened his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The ropes around his body slackened as Dean came to stand in front of Sam.

"What are you-"

"This is too easy." Dean said as he cut the ropes around Sam's feet. He grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and hoisted him onto his feet. "I'm not just gonna kill you. What's the point in that? No, we're gonna fight." Dean explained to Sam who stared at him dumbfounded.

"Dean...I'm not gonna fight you..." Sam said slowly.

"If you wanna survive, you will. Me verse you. The winner walks out of here alive." Dean said smugly.

"I'm not fighting you." Sam repeated, beginning to feel sick to his stomach.

"Well then this is gonna hurt like a bitch." Dean hissed as he snapped yet another punch at Sam. Sam gasped as he fell over the chair behind him and fell to the ground. "Get up." Dean snarled, landing a swift kick to Sam's stomach while he was down. Sam shakily stood up, using the wall for support.

"Dean, stop-"

"Come on, fight!" Dean roared, shoving Sam against the wall. Sam gasped for air as he shook his head quickly.

"No." He responded adamantly. Dean let out a growl as he grabbed Sam and threw him across the room. Sam landed with a thud onto the middle of the floor as his head smashed against the ground. Stars blurred his vision as Dean came over to him once again, and began to beat him.

All Sam could do was curl inwards and pray for it to be over soon. He knew it was stupid not to fight back, but he just couldn't do it. Dean was his big brother and hero, and he just couldn't do it.

"This is why dad likes me better. I know how to survive." Dean seethed, glaring down at Sam.

Without warning, Dean clasped his hands around Sam's neck and began to squeeze. Sam gasped for air that wasn't there as he feebly tried to escape from his brother's grasp. But Dean held on tighter, with the intent to kill.

Black spots danced in Sam's vision as he began to lose consciousness. This was it. Dean was killing him, and there was no going back.

Dean glowered at his brother as he clenched his jaw tightly, squeezing the life out of his brother with everything he had.

Suddenly, a gleam caught his eye as he glanced down at his own neck.

Swinging back and forth on his chest was the amulet Sam had given him for Christmas all those years ago.

The amulet that Dean hadn't taken off in 13 years.

The amulet that helped him through the toughest times.

The amulet that symbolized the unbreakable bond and unconditional love between the brothers.

Images began to speed through Dean's brain like a slideshow.

_Running out of a burning home with 6 month year old Sammy in his arms._

_Promising to always protect his baby brother._

_Teaching Sam to talk._

_Teaching Sam to walk._

_Bringing Sam to his first day of kindergarten._

_Telling Sam about the family business._

_Beating up the bullies that had picked on 12 year old Sam._

_Teaching Sam to drive._

_Pleading for Sam to stay and not go to Stanford._

_Pleading for Sam to help him find their dad._

_Laughing together._

_Smiling together._

_Joking together._

_Becoming brothers again._

_"Sammy, I promise I'll always protect you." A 4 year old Dean promised to 6 month year old Sam as the broken family watched their childhood home burn._

Dean was suddenly snapped back to reality.

He glanced down and saw his hands grasped around his baby brother's throat. Dean gasped as he threw himself backwards and Sam began to cough and choke, fighting to breathe again. Dean stared at Sam with his mouth dropped open, not sure of what to do. Sam spluttered and turned onto his side, gasping for air.

Dean fought back the bile that rose to his throat when he saw how broken and bloody Sam was. Sam slowly turned his head and looked at Dean.

"D-Dean?" He whispered weakly. Dean slowly nodded his head, not being able to control his shaking body.

"Oh god..." Dean gasped as he took in the state Sam was in. "S-Sammy..."

A familiar burning sensation began to grow in Dean's stomach and he knew was what coming.

So did Sam.

Sam and Dean shared a long glance before Dean nodded his head once. Sam grabbed the gun the laid on the bed and painstakingly made his way over to his brother.

"Me and Bobby will fix this." Sam promised as Dean nodded his head again. With every ounce of strength Sam had left, he smashed the butt of the gun into Dean's head, the older brother falling unconscious instantly. Sam leaned against the bed and focused on controlling his breathing.

He would call Bobby and they would figure something out.

Figure out how to bring the normal Dean back permanently.

It was time to make things right again.

**There you have it! I hope you liked this chapter! **

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! First of all, I want to apologize that this chapter is so late! I had meant to finish this last week, but a bunch of shit happened so I didn't post. **

**Also, my school year is almost over and I have finals soon so things have been pretty hectic lately. **

**Anyway, I'm so sorry! I promise that after I'm out of school for the summer, the chapters will be up much quicker and I'll be starting up new stories. Until then, enjoy the next chapter!**

"Holy mother of God..." Bobby whispered in shock as he stared at Sam. Sam sighed and opened the motel door a little further so Bobby could enter.

"Thanks for coming so quickly Bobby." Sam thanked quietly as he shut the door. Bobby couldn't seem to take his eyes off the beaten youngest brother.

"Jesus Christ kid, you look like you were hit by a semi." Bobby noted incredulously.

Sam didn't respond and instead limped his way towards one of the beds. He winced as he sat down and protectively cradled his ribs, which he knew were either cracked or broken.

Sam stared at the other bed that Dean laid on, too busy worrying about his brother to notice the incredible amount of pain he actually was in.

Bobby followed Sam's gaze to the unconscious older brother. Dean was lying on his back, with his arms by his side, and rope encircling his body and feet.

"I had to tie him up…just in case he woke up again." Sam commented in a soft voice, remembering the near impossible task of lifting Dean off the ground and carrying him over to the bed. It wouldn't have been too hard for Sam to do if he wasn't in the beaten condition he was in now.

Bobby nodded silently and ran a weary hand over his chin.

"Sam...You need a hospital." Bobby started in a gentle voice.

"No." He responded instantly. "Dean needs help first."

"Boy, you look like you just went three rounds with the damn Hulk." Bobby scoffed. "Now I'm positive that if Dean was awake and back to his pain in the ass self, he would kick my ass for not takin' you to a hospital."

"I said no Bobby." Sam retorted sharply, ignoring the flame of pain shooting throughout his body.

"Fine." Bobby sighed after a minute. "But as soon as this mess is fixed, you're goin' to a hospital." He ordered firmly. Sam didn't bother responding and instead just continued to stare at his motionless brother.

If the Winchesters had one thing in common, it was that they were all extremely stubborn. Bobby had experienced it firsthand from each of the men.

Sam chewed on the side of his mouth anxiously, pushing back any painful feelings he had, and burying them deep inside of him. Now was not the time to be worrying about his own problems. Dean came first in his book. Always.

Just like Sam came first in Deans'.

"Alright Sam, time to spill. What the hell happened from the time we got off the phone to now?" Bobby asked, taking a seat at the small kitchen table.

Sam quickly explained the turn of events after the phone call with Bobby, keeping the details short and sweet.

"And then I called you."

"Oh holy hell..." Bobby muttered as he stood up and began pacing. He stopped short when a thought hit him and stared at Sam. "Wait a damn minute...Boy, why the hell didn't you fight back or at least defend yourself? You just sat there and let him beat you?" Bobby questioned incredulously.

"He's not himself, Bobby." Sam protested weakly.

"But how do you think Dean's gonna feel when he finds out he's the one that beat you to a pulp, ya damn idjit!" Bobby exclaimed. Sam bolted into a standing position, a mistake on his part.

A wave of pain shot throughout him as his knees buckled under him. He grabbed the nightstand for support as white spots danced in his vision. He could vaguely see Bobby rapidly approaching him and calling his name.

"Sam!"

"M' fine Bobby." Sam mumbled as his vision cleared.

Bobby gently put a hand around Sam's waist and lowered him back to the bed, not missing the whimper of anguish escaping Sam's lips.

"I-I...I just couldn't hit him back Bobby." Sam whispered.

"But Sam-"

"No. You don't get it Bobby. You just don't get it. I can't hit Dean. It's just after everything he's done for me throughout my life, saving my ass more times than I can count and basically raising me, I just cant. I can't explain it."

"Okay, okay." Bobby gave in, holding his hands up. "So anyway, about this witch." He continued, sensing that the younger brother wanted to change the subject. "I searched through every damn book in my library and called Caleb and Pastor Jim. I even tried your Daddy once...hell of a lot of good that did me." He muttered. "Anyway, I came up empty. Sorry son, but it looks like we gotta find the witch and kill her to reverse the spell."

"Alright. So then how do we find her?"

"I'm workin' on that. Caleb said he might have a spell of his own from one of his books. A tracking spell. He's gonna try and find a trace on where this witch is." Bobby explained. "So I'm just waiting for his call and then-"

As if on cue, Bobby's phone began to ring as he pulled it out of his jacket pocket. He glanced at the caller I.D. and flipped it open.

"Hey Caleb, what do ya got for me?" Bobby questioned as he motioned to Sam that he was going to talk outside.

The motel door slammed shut after Bobby and Sam sighed as he glanced at Dean once again.

Sam tried to push away all the lingering thoughts about the vicious words Dean had said, but they kept creeping back.

Before he knew it, his eyes had filled with tears as one fell down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off with his thumb and blinked away the rest.

Winchesters didn't cry.

What scared Sam the most, was the thought that what Dean had been saying was all true and that he had just been hiding his true feelings all along. It broke Sam's heart to think that Dean truly did hate him and it brought a whole new wave of tears to his eyes.

Sam wondered what he ever did to make Dean hate him. Had he been that horrible of a brother? Yeah, he knew he screwed up sometimes, but he didn't think that anything he had ever done was ever _that_ bad.

Bad enough for Dean to even bring up Jessica's death or their mom's.

And even _blame_ him for it.

Sam slowly stood up, wrapping an arm around his abdomen. He painstakingly limped towards the window, clenching his teeth together to keep from screaming.

He peeked out the window and saw Bobby pacing in the parking lot as he discussed with Caleb what their next step was.

"Sam..." Dean's voice weakly rang out suddenly.

Sam spun around, instantly regretting the sharp movement when pain shot through his body. Ignoring his own injuries, Sam made his way over to his brother as fast as possible.

"Dean?" Sam asked as he approached the older brother. "Is that you?"

"Yeah Sammy." He responded, nodding his head slowly. Sam let out a heavy breath and shut his eyes.

"Man, it's good to talk to you." Sam sighed thankfully.

"What's goin on? Why am I tied up?" He questioned, pulling at the ropes as he stared at Sam.

Sam looked into his brothers' eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. Something was off. He could feel it.

"Uh...Just in case, you know…" Sam said smoothly as he took a step back away from Dean.

"Well I'm me again. So untie me, man." Dean said, as he began squirming on the bed.

"Uhm, I think it's best to wait till that witch is dead...just in case." Sam responded quickly. Dean stared at his brother for a moment before he took in a deep breath.

"Right..." He spit out before he mustered on an obviously strained smile.

That smile instantly confirmed Sam's suspicions. If Dean was really himself, the first thing that would be on his mind would be Sam and making sure he was safe and okay. Sam knew his brother well enough to know that he was Dean's number one priority.

And for Dean to be more concerned with finding the witch and getting untied didn't sit well with Sam.

"Uh...well, I'm gonna go talk to Bobby for a minute."

"Bobby's here?" Dean asked in a dangerously low voice. Sam quickly nodded before casually making his way towards the door.

"Yeah, to help kill the witch." Sam explained as he opened the motel door, just as Bobby raised his hand to knock on it. Bobby smirked and raised his eyebrow before entering.

"Alright, so Caleb said-" Bobby stopped talking when he noticed that Dean was awake. "Hey Dean..." He said cautiously.

"Bobby." Dean said curtly, nodding his head once.

"It sure is good to see you up son." Bobby noted, staring warily at the tied up older brother.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean hissed defensively, glaring at Bobby.

"Nothin' boy. Just relax." Bobby said gently, holding his hands up in front of him. Dean forced on a smile and laughed.

"I'm just kiddin' with you Bobby." He visibly lied. Sam and Bobby glanced at each other before Bobby nodded for Sam to come outside. "Where are you going?" Dean suddenly demanded as he watched his brother and Bobby walk towards the door. Both stopped short and turned around.

"Just outside for a second. We'll be right back." Bobby said smoothly before exiting the room, Sam limping behind him and shutting the door before Dean could protest.

"What'd Caleb say?" Sam asked urgently as he cradled an arm around his torso, clenching his teeth tightly together to bite back the pain.

"Listen son, I'm not gonna just sit around here with my thumb up my ass while you stumble along with broken ribs for God's sake."

"Bobby, not now." Sam sighed, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

"No Sam. Look, I gotta take you to a hospital or something." Bobby insisted worriedly.

He couldn't tell the extent of Sam's injuries, but if something happened to Sam on his watch, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"And what the hell are we supposed to tell the doctors?" Sam scoffed. "My big brother beat the shit out of me because the witch we were hunting put him under some damn spell. Yeah, that'll work." He muttered sarcastically.

"Of course not. Don't be an idjit." Bobby scolded. "You're looking at the King of lies here." He said, motioning to himself. "I'll think of something."

Sam looked like he almost considered taking Bobby's offer. But then he shook his head quickly, the concern for his brother outweighing the concern for himself.

"You can take me after we gank the witch." Sam replied with finality, as Bobby sighed to himself. "Speaking of the witch, what'd Caleb say?"

"Right." Bobby said with a nod. "So Caleb does have a spell of his own that will track down the witch. He's doin' the spell right now and then he's gonna call back when he finds out where she is."

"How long does it take?"

"Not long. He'll probably have the location in a couple minutes." Bobby responded.

"Thank God." Sam sighed. "Caleb sure is a lifesaver."

"Literally." Bobby muttered under his breath, referring to the fact that as soon as Dean was back to normal, Sam would finally agree to go to the hospital.

"What?" Sam asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Nothing." The old hunter responded quickly. He pulled off his cap and ran a hand through his hair before placing the hat back on. "Anyway, we better get back in to your brother."

"Yeah, he's probably-"

Sam was cut off by the sound of glass being broken from inside of the room. He bolted to the door, ignoring the agonizing pain shooting through his body. Sam threw open the door, Bobby hot on his heels.

"Dean?" Sam exclaimed as he entered the room. He stopped short, Bobby running into Sam at his sudden halt.

"What? What-" The words left Bobby's mouth as his eyes widened.

Dean was gone.

"No, no, no." Sam muttered as his limped to the bathroom door and pushed it open. "Shit!" He yelled at the sight of the bathroom window smashed to pieces. Below the window laid the ropes that had bound Dean, along with an empty case of one of their hunting knives.

"Sam! Did you find him?" Bobby called from the other room. Sam slowly exited the bathroom, rope and empty knife case in hand. He glanced at Bobby for a second before shaking his head slowly.

"He's gone." Sam whispered.

"What?" Bobby gasped. "How'd he get lose?" He demanded as Sam shrugged.

"He must have gotten into the duffle bag somehow and got a knife and cut himself lose." Sam figured out before dropping his head to his chest. "Damn it!" He exclaimed, throwing the ropes and case to the ground.

"Alright. Let's keep our heads on now. Sam, I need you to focus." Bobby said, approaching the panicking younger brother. "Now, you know Dean better than anyone else in the entire world. Where would he go?"

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

"I-I don't know." He mumbled. "Bobby, Dean is like a ticking time bomb. Someone's gonna get hurt. We gotta find him." He rambled apprehensively.

"And we will." Bobby promised. "But I need you to calm down. Sam, I need you to think. Where would Dean go?" He asked slowly.

"Dean would..." Sam began, squinting his eyes as he got into the mindset of his brother. "Uhm, he'd probably go to some bar or something." He said, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright. We'll start there." Bobby said, as his phone began to ring. He glanced at the caller I.D. and breathed a sigh of relief as he flipped it open. "Hey Caleb, what'd ya got for me?"

Sam sat quietly as he watched Bobby talk, tapping his foot impatiently.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Bobby whispered as his eyes widened.

"What? What is it?" Sam questioned anxiously.

"No, we'll take care of it. Thanks Caleb." Bobby said quickly as he snapped the phone shut.

"What'd he say? Did he find the witch?" Sam asked. Bobby stared at Sam before nodding slowly. "Well, where is she?" He demanded.

"She's here."

**That's all for now! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**

**Thank you so much to everyone reviewing and reading my story!**

**Please review more!**


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, I am SO sorry...once again...that this chapter is up so much later than I intended it to be. But I promise, the chapters will be up much quicker now that I'm out of school! Thank god! **

**Anyway, I've been also having a lot of writer's block and it sucks. So I hope this chapter isn't that horrible.**

**Thank you so SO much to everyone reading and reviewing! I love you all! :)**

**Enjoy!**

"She's here?" Sam questioned incredulously. "As in, _here_ here?" He asked, motioning around the motel.

"No Sam, here as in Timbuktu." Bobby muttered sarcastically. "Yes, as in here at this motel. Well actually, Caleb said that she's on the grounds of the motel. She must have been watching you two ever since she bewitched Dean." He pointed out. "Did you boys cover your tracks after you left the witches house?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows and thought hard for a minute before groaning softly to himself.

"No...shit. No, I completely forgot to check the place out. Just...with everything going on...it must have just slipped my mind." Sam confessed guiltily.

"It's alright son. We'll take care of her."

"Okay...okay." Sam mumbled to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "Bobby, we need to find Dean first though."

"I know Sam, but what about the witch?" Bobby asked.

"I don't give a shit about the witch Bobby! I need to find my brother!" Sam shouted

"Alright, calm yourself now." Bobby soothed in effort to calm the panicking brother.

Sam didn't bother responding and dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. An intense migraine was beginning to form behind Sam's eyes and most definitely wasn't helping their situation.

"God, I'm so stupid. How could I leave Dean in here with all our weapons just lying around? Of course he'd find a way to get out of the ropes! He's Dean Winchester!" Sam exclaimed, feeling the weight of regret on his shoulders.

"Son, neither of us was really thinking about-"

"It doesn't matter what are excuse is. Right now, Dean is as deadly and dangerous as he's ever been and he can't even control it! Bobby, if he hurts someone or even ki-"

Sam's words got caught in his throat before he took a deep breath and continued.

"Or even kills someone...that's on me. I'm the one that's responsible for that. I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

"Well look, playing the blame game isn't gonna do crap. Let's get a game plan here and get this over with." Bobby said firmly.

"Fine." Sam grumbled before sighing. "Alright, what's our plan?" He questioned, attempting to get his priorities straight.

"Obviously, you're in no condition to go after this witch. It'll just do more harm than good." Bobby pointed out.

"But Bobby, you can't do it alone."

"Boy, I was huntin' things you've never even heard of 20 years before you were even born. I'll manage." Bobby scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Okay...Then I'm gonna look for Dean." Sam replied with a nod.

"Alright. But listen Sam, you stay away from him, you hear? It seems like he's mostly targeted you and you can't afford any more injuries. I don't want you to get hurt even more than you already are, so please, for the love of God, promise me you'll keep a distance." Bobby asked pleadingly.

"But what if-"

"Sam, give an old man some peace of mind. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Fine." Sam mumbled in defeat.

"I wanna hear you promise." Bobby said stubbornly.

"I promise." He grumbled before taking a deep breath. "I'm gonna go find Dean." Sam said as he began to limp towards the door, grabbing his jacket and the Impala's keys on the way.

"I'll call you when I'm done here with the witch. Be careful Sam." Bobby cautioned.

"You too." Sam replied with a nod before shutting the motel door behind him.

Bobby watched as Sam left the room and exhaled heavily as the sound of the Impala roaring to life and skidding out of the parking lot filled the room. He grabbed the duffle bag he had brought in and shuffled through the various assortment of weapons stowed in the bag.

He grabbed a revolver and tucked it into the back of his pants before pulling out a long, freshly-sharpened knife. He examined it in his hands, turning it over several times to check out the blade.

Once he was satisfied with his weapons, Bobby left the motel room and began the hunt for the witch.

He crept stealthily across the parking lot and began to circle the motel, opening his senses to every sight and sound around him.

He heard a twig snap behind him and quickly spun around, gun aimed and ready. But of course, there was nothing and no one behind him. Bobby glanced around him before continuing his hunt.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up and he knew he was close to his target.

A flash of red drew his attention to his right and he spun around, scanning the area surrounded with trees.

"I got a feeling you're not here for a chat?" A voice suddenly called out from the trees.

"Uh huh...And what would make you think that?" Bobby replied back, slowly approaching the trees.

"Oh, I don't know. I think it was the gun and knife that gave you away." The witch retorted sharply.

"Well then why don't you come on out of the trees and I'll rethink that chat."

"Now now Bobby Singer, what kind of a fool do you think I am?"

Bobby paused at the witches' knowledge of his name before he continued to creep closer to the trees.

"Well ain't that a shame. I usually like a formal introduction...Ain't that right Whitney?" Bobby responded slowly, scanning the trees up and down. He paused when he didn't get a response.

Bobby heard a throat being cleared from behind him as he spun around, face to face with the witch.

"How's this for a formal introduction." Whitney growled before nodding her head, as Bobby flew backwards and slammed into the tree behind him.

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

Sam sped through the dark streets, keeping a sharp lookout for his brother.

"Come on, come on..." Sam muttered, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers impatiently. "Damn it Dean, where are you?" He whispered as he searched the empty road.

It was stupid for Sam to be driving and he knew that. The pain in his head was making it hard for him to see straight and every part of his body hurt. Especially whenever he drove over a bump, and then it felt like he was being stabbed over and over. But he pushed back the agony and focused on figuring out where Dean went.

Sam had already stopped at two bars along the way and looked everywhere for his brother, but with no luck. Several people had stopped Sam and asked him if he was alright, even offering to take him to a hospital. But he didn't bother responding and instead, continued his search.

Sam spotted a third bar rapidly approaching and quickly pulled into the parking lot.

As soon as he stopped in front of the bar, he knew Dean was here. It was the gut feeling he had in the pit of his stomach that told him his brother was close.

He took a deep breath as he got out of the Impala, biting back the pain as he maneuvered his way into the bar.

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

Dean sat down on a stool in a bar, miles down the road from the motel. He smirked to himself, feeling very prideful of his master escape. Now, it was time to celebrate.

"What can I get you?" The man behind the bar asked Dean, throwing a rag over his shoulder.

"One beer." Dean replied smugly, twirling around on the barstool so his back was leaning against the bar. He scanned the area, feeling in the mood for a good fight. He searched for the perfect guy to start something with.

Not someone smaller than him, because then that would be too easy. He needed someone that would actually pose as a challenge. But hell, no one would be that hard to beat. He _was_ Dean Winchester.

Dean spotted the perfect guy. The kid was about his height, maybe even a couple inches taller, with long, mop-like blonde hair. Probably in his early 20's...a college kid most likely. He sat alone at a table with a beer and a textbook.

Something about this kid struck a chord with Dean.

"Sir..." The bartender cut in, interrupting his thoughts. "Your beer."

"Thanks." Dean grunted, grabbing the beer from the mans' hand and taking a long swig. He set it back down on the bar and pushed away from the stool.

He approached the table that the kid sat at with blood on his mind.

The college kid slowly looked up from under his blonde hair with a confused expression.

"Uh, can I help you?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah." Dean scoffed before pulling an arm back and snapping it at the college kid's unexpected face. He fell backwards in his chair hitting the ground with a thud before bolting into a standing position.

"What the hell man!" He exclaimed, grabbing his chin and rubbing it. Dean quickly grabbed the kid by the cuff of his collar and shook him roughly before punching him again. By now, the boy had had enough and responded by grabbing Dean around the waist and tackling him to the ground.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" The bartender shouted, running from behind the bar. "If you two wanna fight, then get the fuck out of my bar!" He roared as he shoved the two fighting men out of the bar through the back door.

"Dude, what the fuck!" The college kid screamed, backing away from Dean as the hunter walked towards him. "Seriously man, what the hell's going on!"

Dean just smirked before pushing the kid farther into the alley behind the bar.

"Okay man, look, I don't want any trouble." The kid said, holding up his hands in surrender. Dean reached behind him and pulled out the knife he had taken from the motel room. The boy's face paled considerably as he eyed the knife. "Hey, hey come on. You don't have to do this. I'll just leave and be on my way."

Dean glared at the kid threateningly and he twirled the knife in circles.

"Please man!" The college kid begged. "Let's just talk about this."

That's when it hit Dean why this kid seemed so familiar.

The long hair. Studying at a bar. Tall stature and broad shoulders. Pensive eyes.

He was just like Sam.

"Please." The kid pleaded.

Dean stared at the terrified boy indifferently before tilting his head to the side slightly. It was almost like this kid transformed into looking like Sam in Dean's eyes. He pulled back his arm with the knife in hand, ready to throw it at the college boy, when a voice spoke up.

"No, Dean!"

Dean spun around and saw Sam standing a few feet away with a horrified expression.

"Dean, put the knife down!" Sam shouted as he limped forward.

"Sam." Dean growled before glancing at the long knife in his hand.

Then, without a second thought, Dean whipped the knife out of his hand, hurling it in Sam's direction and aiming for his head.

**Again, I hope this chapter wasn't too horrible! I will be posting soon, I promise!**

**Please review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thank you all so SO much for reviewing and reading! I appreciate it so much!**

**Yay! I know this chapter wasn't out as fast as I had hoped for, but it's better than it being a week late like usual. :)**

**Also, I'm sorry the chapter's kind of short. I'll make the next one longer, I promise!**

**Enjoy!**

Hunter instincts kicked in and Sam threw himself to the ground, just as the knife sliced the air above him, right where his head was seconds ago.

Sam cried out in pain when he felt his ribs move under him from the pressure on them.

"Damn it." Dean muttered disappointedly. "Why the fuck did you move!" He yelled as he began to approach Sam.

Sam quickly attempted to pull himself up, but his arms and legs gave out from under him when he was blindsided by a wave of pain.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" The college kid shouted on impulse, as Dean spun around and glared at the boy. The kids' steps faltered as he began to back away.

"What was that?" Dean growled as he stalked towards the college kid.

"Uh...I-I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean..." The boy stammered under the hunter's intense stare.

"Get out of here!" Sam yelled to the boy, as he painstakingly pulled himself up with shaky limbs. The college kid stared at Sam dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. "Go! Now!" He roared, as he finally stood up.

"I'm gonna go call the cops!" The kid shouted as he began to run.

"No!" Sam called after him, the boy halting in the process of his escape. "Don't call the cops!"

Dean watched the interaction between the two with an almost amused expression. He glanced back and forth, as if deciding which one he wanted to go after more. His eyes landed on Sam and the target was set.

"What? Why!" The boy exclaimed in confusion.

"Just don't! Get the hell out of here!" Sam ordered as Dean began to approach him.

The college kid shot Sam one last glance before turning on his heels and bolting in the opposite direction, sprinting out of the alley and into the parking lot.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Dean growled as Sam began to inch backwards.

"Hurry Bobby." Sam whispered as Dean jumped at him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the alley wall.

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

Bobby fell to the ground with a thud after colliding with the tree behind him. His gun flew out of his hand and landed a couple feet away.

Without waiting a second more, Bobby yanked his knife out and launched it at the witch.

Whitney grabbed the handle of the knife mid throw before clicking his tongue and shaking her head.

"Bobby, that wasn't very nice." She scolded.

The older hunter quickly pulled himself up to his feet and scrambled towards his gun. He grabbed it, cocked it and aimed it towards where Whitney once stood. But by the time he shot the handgun, the witch was gone.

"Damn it." He growled, slowly walking forward, making sure to keep a sharp lookout for the witch. He had to be extra careful now, because Whitney still had his knife.

A shrill laugh echoed throughout the trees as Bobby turned around and aimed for the trees.

"Aren't we a little too old to be playin' hide and seek?" Bobby called out.

"I was just thinking...I wonder how little Sammy's doing. Last time I checked in on tweedle dee and tweedle dum, things weren't going too well for the youngest. Big brother sure has a lot of pent up anger, don't you think? And poor Sammy was the one who had to pay for it." Whitney taunted.

"You son of a bitch..." Bobby muttered under his breath.

"The spell is in full effect by now and stronger than ever. Sammy won't survive the night. And then there's Dean...this is the best part Bobby, let me tell you that." The witch mused. "Dean will become so overwhelmed with guilt over murdering his baby brother, he'll take his own life. The perfect ending to the perfect spell."

"So that's your big plan? What, your too scared to finish the boys off yourself, you have to hide behind little spells and tricks?" Bobby questioned, a plan beginning to form in his mind. "Sorry sweetheart, but that's pretty pathetic."

"I could have finished those two morons off anytime!" Whitney shouted defensively. "But this was definitely more entertaining."

"You can make up all the excuses you want, but the truth is, you were just too afraid to go up against the boys yourself." Bobby mocked. "I feel sorry for you. I really do."

"Don't you dare _pity_ me. If I wanted to, I could rip your heart right out of your chest before you even get the chance to take a shot at me with that gun of yours." Whitney threatened.

"Then do it." Bobby replied nonchalantly. "Come on doll face," He continued in a condescending voice. "If you really think you're so big and bad, then do it."

A heavy silence filled the night as Bobby waited for the witch to show.

Bobby was suddenly thrown into the side of the motel as the gun flew out of his hands and into Whitney's.

He jumped into a standing position as the witch began to approach him, waving the gun back and forth in one hand and holding up his knife in the other.

"I'll show you." She seethed with smirk on her face.

Bobby waited until the witch was a few feet away, before whipping out a second gun he had in the back of his pants. He quickly cocked it and aimed it at the shocked witch.

"Always carry a backup." He muttered as he pulled the trigger.

Whitney gasped as the shot rang out.

Bobby watched at the witches' steps faltered and she fell to her knees, before landing with a thud on the ground.

A bullet between her eyes.

Bobby let out a sigh of relief as he walked towards the body and knelt beside it.

Blood began to trickle out of the side of the witch's mouth.

Bobby put his fingers to her neck and felt for a pulse, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders when he found none, before standing back up.

"Ding dong the bitch is dead."

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Dean growled as he slammed Sam into the alley wall by his throat.

By now, Sam had already given up on trying to talk some sense into Dean. His best bet was to try and keep both of them alive until Bobby finished off the witch.

"What, no begging or pleading for me to stop? For us to _talk_ about this?" Dean taunted, before yanking Sam off the wall and shoving him away.

Sam stumbled over his feet before regaining his balance. Dean wasted no time before jumping at Sam and grabbing his arm, pulling it behind his back.

Dean smirked when a loud pop echoed throughout the alley.

Sam cried out in pain as he felt his shoulder dislocate from its socket.

"Ouch. That sounded like it hurt." Dean mocked indifferently before pushing Sam backwards.

Sam tripped over a pile of boxes set in the alley and landed on his back as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Dean strolled over towards his brother, but not before spotting a crowbar on the ground. He sneered at Sam before twirling the crowbar in his hand.

"How convenient." He muttered before raising it high above his head, getting ready to strike down.

Sam felt his stomach drop as he quickly raised his arm to block the blow.

The crowbar came down on Sam's arm, a loud cracking sound filling the night.

Sam couldn't hold back the scream that reached his throat as he cradled his broken arm, the bone sticking out in an off direction.

Tears sprang to his eyes and leaked out the side as he bit his lip, whimpering in pain.

Dean didn't hesitate before slamming the crowbar into Sam's torso, hearing a few more ribs cracking. The sound of breaking bones gave Dean a warm feeling as he smirked down at Sam who was withering in pain. He knelt down besides his brother and shot him a disgusted look.

"D-Dean...please." Sam whispered, in one final attempt to stop his brother.

Dean suddenly grabbed Sam by the hair and smashed his head into the concrete ground, the younger brother instantly going still.

"It's time to finish this." Dean hissed as he raised the crowbar once again, right above Sam's head.

A direct kill shot.

Just as Dean began to swing the bar down, he felt an invisible force shove him backwards. The crowbar fell from his hands as he grabbed his stomach in pain. He curled inwardly as the feeling of his body becoming inflamed took over.

Then, as soon as it started, it ended.

Dean's breath came out in short rasps as he stared around in confusion.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to Dean.

The witch hunt.

The witch attacking him and Sam.

Being put under the witches' spell.

Anger.

Snapping out of it.

Sam worrying.

Rage.

Snapping out of it.

Fear.

Fury.

Fight.

Amulet.

Sam.

Escape.

Bar.

Fight.

Sam.

Attack.

Break.

Sam.

A wave of emotions hit Dean, making him dizzy as his head snapped into the direction of his broken baby brother.

"Sammy!" Dean shouted in a strangled cry, all the despair and guilt in the world laced into that one word.

**There you have it! Finally, we have our Dean back! But poor Sammy :(**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Wow, I can't believe the reception I've been getting for this story! I did NOT expect this what so ever, so thank you all so SO much!**

**On a different note, this chapter isn't one of my best. I dont know why, but I didnt like the way some parts turned out, but thats just me.**

**Anyway, thank you all again! I would love to respond to each of your amazing reviews, but unforntunately I don't have the time. :( Just know that I really do appreciate all your support and love each and every one of you!**

**Enjoy!**

"NO!" Dean screamed as he scrambled on his hands and knees over to his brother.

He knelt by Sam's side, feeling his stomach churn as he stared at his brother's beaten and bloody body. Dean cupped his hands around Sam's face and head, shaking him gently as he tried to muster Sam conscious.

"Sammy?"

No response.

"Come on kiddo, open those eyes for me." He pleaded desperately.

No response.

"Sam!" Dean shouted through his teeth as tears sprung to his eyes.

Sam's eyes stayed shut as Dean's breathing began to pick up. Dean quickly shut his eyes and began to build a mental wall, one that he had learned to master over the years.

Right now, he needed to focus on keeping Sam alive and he couldn't do that if he became too consumed in the guilt and despair filling throughout him.

So brick by brick, Dean built up a wall to block out everything besides saving Sam. He would deal with the rest of his emotions when Sam's life wasn't on the line.

Dean took a deep breath as he began to asses Sam's injuries...the injuries he had caused...

_No._ Dean thought adamantly as he fought to keep his head on straight. _Focus on Sam. Sam needs you strong. Sam needs you to check him over._

"It's okay Sammy, you're gonna be alright." Dean reassured, smoothing back Sam's hair.

Vivid bruises, as well as several cuts, covered Sam's face and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Blood matted down the back of his head and after Dean gingerly felt around Sam's hair, he could tell there were large bumps all over his skull.

Sam's left shoulder was dislocated from its socket and his right arm was twisted in an odd angel. Dean gently lifted up his brother's right arm and fought back the bile that rose to his throat at the sight.

The bone in his wrist was clearly broken and stuck out, pushing up from underneath Sam's skin. He set Sam's arm back down before pulling up his brother's shirt.

The state that Sam's torso was in just about sent Dean off the edge.

Sam's entire torso, from his chest to his hips, was completely concealed with cuts and bruises ranging from all colors. Several ribs were broken, all of them sticking up from beneath the skin, similar to Sam's wrist. From the looks of it, it seemed like Sam's entire ribcage was offset.

"Fuck." Dean whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as if to erase the images of Sam's broken body from his mind.

Dean gingerly pulled back down Sam's shirt before running a hand over his face and through his hair.

"Alright Sammy, I'm gonna get you to a hospital." He said, before wrapping an arm under Sam's arms and under his knees and lifting him off the ground.

Dean gently swung him onto his shoulder and carried him fireman style out of the alley.

Dean was thankful that his brother was at least unconscious, that way Sam wouldn't have to go through any more unbearable pain.

He scanned the area for the Impala and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted it parked at the entrance of the bar.

"It's okay Sammy, just stay with me buddy." Dean spoke in a soft voice, not sure if he was reassuring Sam or himself. "You're gonna be alright." He repeated over and over until he finally made it to the car.

Dean knew talking to Sam was pointless since his brother couldn't even hear him, but it made it seem like it was somehow helping Sam know that he wasn't alone. It almost made Dean feel a little better.

Almost.

Dean reached for the car door and pulled at the handle. The door wouldn't budge and Dean cursed under his breath.

_The Winchester luck strikes again. _Dean thought bitterly.

"Shit. Keys." He growled, patting himself down with his free hand to feel for the keys to open the car. "Please, please have them." Dean muttered as he felt Sam's pockets for the keys.

He groaned softly to himself when he came up empty and took a deep breath. They must have fallen out somewhere in the alley.

"Damn it!" Dean roared, feeling his heart begin to race faster and faster.

He couldn't waste any more time.

"Okay, plan B. It's alright Sammy, everything's gonna be okay." Dean murmured under his breath.

He gently lowered Sam to the ground and laid him down. Sam's arms and legs flopped to the pavement lifelessly as Dean tried not to think about the ghostly shade of white his brother's face was turning.

After laying Sam down a safe distance away from the car, Dean walked to the driver's side and ran a hand over his face. An idea struck Dean and he quickly whipped off his jacket and wrapped it around his hand. He guarded his face with his other hand, before smashing in the driver side window with his wrapped hand.

It only took that one powerful punch before the glass shattered and landed in pieces on the ground. He snaked his hand inside the window and unlocked the Impala, before yanking the back door open.

He quickly made his way over to Sam, picking him up and laying him out in the back seat. Dean shook his jacket, all the excess glass still imbedded in the leather falling to the ground. He bunched the jacket into a ball and placed it under Sam's head, before shutting the door and jumping into the driver's seat.

Dean quickly stared the car and pealed out of the parking lot, leaving only tire skid marks behind. He adjusted his mirror so he could keep an eye on Sam, and turned around to look at the backseat.

Just by the look of it, Dean knew Sam's breathing was uneven and his coloring was even whiter than before.

He pressed further down on the accelerator as panic began to set it.

A rule that the brothers made sure to follow before every hunt, was to scour the area for the nearest hospital, just in case it was necessary to take a trip there. Dean made a sharp right and got on the highway, driving way past the speeding limit in the direction of the emergency room.

Every few seconds, Dean shot Sam a glance through the rearview mirror to check on him and to make sure he was at least still breathing.

If something happened to Sam because of Dean, even if he was under a spell or not, he would never be able to live with himself. How could he have hurt Sam the way he did? How come he didn't fight harder to break free? This was all his fault.

The guilt began to seep in, adding to the knot in Dean's stomach.

"Damn it!" Dean roared, slamming his fist into the steering wheel. "Come on, come on." He muttered, gripping the wheel with both of his hands, turning his knuckles white. He needed to keep focused.

The wall he had originally built to push back the dam of emotions began to crack. Dean mustered up all the strength he could to keep his emotions away.

Dean's cell phone began to ring, interrupting his thoughts. He quickly pulled out his phone and checked the caller I.D., breathing a sigh of relief as he flipped it open.

"B-Bobby?" Dean stammered, taken back for a moment at how scared and freaked out his sounded compared to his normally stoic and strong voice.

_"Dean? Is that you son?" Bobby asked as he hopped into his beat up truck. _

"Y-Yeah." Dean replied, hearing the older hunter let out a deep breath.

_"Thank god. Boy, it's good to hear your voice." Bobby admitted as he steered the car onto the open road._

"Bobby, I'm on my way to the hospital. Sam is...he's not doin' good...I-I can't..."

_"Alright Dean, just take a deep breath now." Bobby cut in, hearing the panic begin to grow in the older brother's voice. "I'm headin' on over to the hospital now so I'll meet you there, okay?"_

"Okay. But Bobby...what happened to me? How could I do that to Sammy?" Dean questioned desperately.

_"Son, you listen to me and you listen good." Bobby cut in firmly. "You had no control, you hear? That witch did this to you. You couldn't have stopped yourself. I don't want you beatin' yourself down over something you had no damn control over." He continued, taking on a fatherly role towards the boys since their real father was MIA._

"But I hurt Sam Bobby. I almost _killed_ him...What if...What if something happens? What if he never forgives me?" Dean said, whispering the last part in despair. He wouldn't hold it against Sam if he never forgave him either.

_"Dean, that kid brother of yours loves you so much. There's no way in hell he won't forgive you." Bobby responded softly._

Silence filled the line as Dean took in what Bobby said.

"I gotta go. I'm almost at the hospital." Dean said quietly, glancing at the back seat once again.

_"Alright son, I'll see you there." Bobby retorted before both hunters hung up their phone._

"Hold on Sammy, we're almost there." Dean spoke softly, seeing the emergency room lights in the distance.

A soft moan from the backseat almost made Dean slam on the brakes. He looked into the mirror and saw Sam beginning to stir as his eyes opened.

"Sammy?" Dean called out, looking back and forth between the road and his brother. Sam groaned as he shut his eyes and whimpered softly.

"D-Dean?" Sam whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Come on kiddo, stay with me. We're almost to the hospital." Dean said, as he turned down the road to the emergency room.

"It hurts." Sam mumbled through his teeth.

"I know buddy, I know. We're almost-" Dean gasped as a random car pulled out in front of him, causing him to slam on the brakes. "Shit!" He roared, hearing Sam gasp and cry out in pain. "Mother fuckers." He hissed, seeing the car speed in the opposite direction.

Dean quickly took his foot off the break and continued ahead towards the hospital.

"Sammy, you okay?" He asked, glancing in the mirror to see his brother's eyes shut. "Sam?" He yelled, feeling his heart begin to pick up speed. "Sammy!"

Dean focused on slowing down his breathing as he sped up to the front entrance of the hospital and stopped the Impala, jumping out of it without parking. He yanked the back door open and gently grabbed his brother, picking him up and carrying him inside, being careful not to jostle him too much.

The automatic doors slid open and in came a frantic older brother. He jogged into the lobby, opened his mouth and shouted, "Help! Please, I need help!"

**There you have it! Please review and tell me what you think so far! Thanks! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Wow! Over 100 reviews! You all have NO idea how incredibly happy each and every one of your reviews make me! I love you all so SO much! :]**

**Anyway, I just now realized that I had made a mistake on the chapter before, Chapter 8. So in the previous chapter, the keys to the Impala were lost somewhere in the alley after Dean had attacked Sam. And then Dean had to break open the car window right? Right. **

**Okay, and then I did something that made me feel very stupid. Dean then started the car...Yeah, with what keys? Haha, so I meant to say he hotwired his car first...it didn't just magically start! Haha, okay I feel better now that that's cleared up!**

**Enjoy!**

Everything after that became only a blur to Dean

As soon as Dean had screamed for help, a swarm of men and women had come in and whisked Sam from Dean's arms. They laid Sam down on a gurney and wheeled him away and out of sight.

_"Help! Please, I need help!" Dean screamed as a group of people instantly came running into the lobby._

_"What happened?" One of the doctors immediately asked as two men grabbed Sam from Dean's hold and put him on the gurney the nurses had wheeled in._

_"Please, my brother needs help!" Dean responded, not taking his eyes off Sam as the nurses began to work on him. They placed an oxygen mask on his face as they wheeled him down a long hallway. _

_That protective instinct Dean had over Sam kicked in as he automatically began running after the gurney, not wanting his little brother to leave his sight._

_"Son, you need to stay back." One of the older doctors said, putting a hand on Dean's chest to hold him back._

_"No, no, no my brother needs me!" Dean protested as he struggled to keep Sam in view._

_"Right now my team is going to help your brother, okay? I promise we will keep you up to date as to how your brother's doing. I'm going to have one of my nurses ask you a few questions and then we will go from there, alright?" The doctor informed firmly._

_Dean stared at the man before nodding once, running a hand over his weary face. _

_The doctor nodded once as well before turning on his heels and hurrying down the hallway after the gurney. An older, heavy-set woman with faded red hair walked over to the Dean and gave him a sympathetic look._

_"Hello sweetheart, my name's Ruth." The nurse introduced with kind eyes. "Come on honey, let's sit down for a minute." She offered, gently taking Dean's arm and sitting him down on one of the many blue, plastic chairs placed throughout the lobby._

_Dean let the nurse drag him over to a chair, keeping his head down and his eyes locked on his feet. He couldn't bring himself to even raise his head out of shame and guilt._

_"Oh sweetie, don't you worry about your brother. I'm sure he will be fine." Ruth reassured, her heart breaking at the sight of the distraught older brother. "I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me what happened." She continued, taking a seat next to Dean, trying to catch his eye._

Shit._ Dean thought. He hadn't come up with a cover story yet. He racked his brain for any story he could make up off the top of his head to tell the nurse. _Why don't I just tell her it was me who almost murdered my baby brother...Yeah, I bet that'd go over well. _He thought bitterly._

_"Uhm..." Dean started in a soft voice. "I-I was uh...walking home and uh, well I...uhm..."_

_"It's okay honey, don't get worked up now." Ruth cut in, saving the obviously struggling brother. She placed a comforting hand on Dean's forearm and patted it softly. "Let's start off easy. What's your brothers' name?"_

_"Sam. It's Sam." Dean answered instantly._

_"Alright, and what's your name?"_

_"Dean." _

_"Okay Dean, now start at the beginning. You don't have to rush, I just need to know what happened so the doctors can figure out what to do to help Sam." Ruth spoke slowly, gently grabbing Dean's chin and turning his face towards hers' so she could look him in the eye. "Now, what happened sweetheart?" She asked again, in a motherly tone of voice._

_"Uhm, well Sammy had gone out for a walk and I stayed in the room of the motel we're staying at." Dean lied smoothly. "And uh, after he had been gone for too long, I got worried so I went out to look for him." He explained. _

_Dean paused, reaching a hand behind him and rubbing the back of his neck. _

_"And I heard a noise down this alleyway as I was walking and so I went down it, and I-I just found Sammy like that. He must have gotten jumped or something." He continued._

_Dean rubbed the stubble on his chin after he finished explaining his cover story and nodded his head once before casting his eyes downward._

_"Yeah, that's about it." He finished as Ruth wrote down what he had said on a clipboard she had brought over before._

_"And do you know where most of the damage to Sam's body is?" Ruth asked softly._

_"Uh yeah, it's mostly his torso. I know he has a bunch of broken ribs, but it seems like his whole ribcage is offset or something." Dean explained, wringing his hands together in his lap. "And his wrist is pretty mangled too." He finished, feeling his stomach churn at the thought of the state Sam was in right now...all because of him._

_"Okay, I think that's all I need to know right now. Make yourself comfortable honey. One of the doctors will be out once their done patching up Sam to let you know how he's doing, okay?" Ruth said, patting Dean's knee reassuringly as she stood up._

_"Thanks." Dean muttered as Ruth hobbled down the hallway to where Sam had been taken. Dean shut his eyes and buried his face in his hands, placing his elbows on his knees. Now came the hardest part._

_The waiting game._

Two hours later, the wait still dragged on.

Bobby had arrived a few minutes after Ruth had left Dean in the lobby. The older hunter had rushed in and instantly grabbed Dean, pulling him into a big bear hug.

_"Dean..." Bobby sighed as he rushed into the lobby. "Thank god." He mumbled under his breath, gently taking Dean's arm and bringing him to his feet before pulling him into a quick hug. Bobby clapped Dean on the back before he released the older brother. "Boy, it sure is good to see you son."_

_"You too." Dean responded halfheartedly, focusing anywhere except on Bobby._

_"So what'd the doctors say?" Bobby questioned._

_"I don't know. Nothin' yet." Dean retorted monotonously._

_"What's the matter, Dean?" Bobby asked suspiciously. He couldn't get an exact read on Dean's emotions and it was worrying him._

_"Nothing." He replied with a shrug._

_"That don't sound like nothin'."_

_"Oh, I don't know Bobby," Dean said suddenly. "Maybe the fact that Sam's in the hospital right now because of me."_

_"Dean, it wasn't your fault." Bobby replied slowly. "Look son, I don't want you beatin' yourself up over this. And Sam wouldn't either." He pointed out sympathetically._

_Dean just shook his head and ran a hand over his face, before sitting back down on one of the lobby chairs._

_"So what'd you do with the witches' body?" Dean questioned, wanting to get off the topic of Sam in case that mental wall he had built up came tumbling down._

_"She's in the trunk of my car." Bobby admitted sheepishly. "Speaking of, I better get rid of the body before people start to notice the smell. You call me as soon as you get word of how Sam's doin', okay?"_

_"Yeah, okay."_

_"I'll be right back." Bobby said before hurrying back to his car._

_And then Dean was alone._

Two hours later, Dean paced back and forth across the lobby, too anxious to sit still.

One of the _many_ things Dean hated about hospitals was the agonizing wait.

It always seemed like all the doctors and nurses just took their sweet time with everything, while worried families tore their hair out waiting to hear the news on their loved ones.

God, Dean hated hospitals.

"I'm looking for the family of Sam Winchester?" A voice suddenly announced as a doctor came walking down the hallway, holding a clipboard in hand.

"Yeah, that's me." Dean responded, rapidly approaching the doctor. "How is he? How's Sammy?" He questioned quickly.

"I can assure you Sam will be fine." The doctor said with a small smile.

"Thank god." Dean whispered, relief washing over him.

"I'm Doctor Harrison. I've been monitoring Sam for the past few hours, and I'm happy to say my team and I have gotten him stable."

"That's great. Thanks again doc. So can I see Sam?" Dean asked, itching to see his baby brother for himself.

"Of course...but there's something you should know." Doctor Harrison cut in before pausing and glancing at his clipboard.

"What? What's wrong?" Dean questioned, not liking the way the doctor was studying his clipboard.

"Well, Sam's wrist was clearly broken, but it was easy to set the bone back in place. It's going to have to be in a cast for at least a month or two for it to fully heal. His shoulder was dislocated, but we popped it back into the socket, which was also fairly simple. What really worried me though, was his torso." The doctor paused as Dean spoke up.

"Yeah, I told one of your nurses about his torso and everything. Some of his ribs were broken." Dean replied, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Well unfortunately, because his torso was beaten and broken so badly, one of the ribs had actually punctured a lung."

Dean felt his stomach churn as he swallowed the bile that rose to his throat.

"H-His lung?"

"Yes. That's why Sam had such trouble breathing when you first brought him in."

"So what did you do to fix it?" Dean questioned demandingly.

"Well, in most cases, lungs that are punctured usually end up collapsing, which results in the insertion of a chest tube. But you brought Sam in just in time, and we were able to fix the lung before it collapsed." The doctor informed, tucking his clipboard under his arm and removing his reading glasses.

"So Sam's out of the woods then, right?" Dean asked, hope filling his voice.

"Not exactly." The doctor sighed.

_Of course the answer's not exactly._ Dean thought resentfully.

"You see, Sam still hasn't regained consciousness." Doctor Harrison explained. "There had been blunt force trauma to his head, causing a severe concussion. I ran a MRI to see if there had been any other trauma to his brain, so I should get those results back shortly."

"Well when's Sam gonna wake up?" Dean questioned incredulously.

"I'm sorry, but there's just no way of knowing. I'm thinking that because of the trauma Sam went through, his mind pretty much shut down, his body included, to protect itself. We'll just have to wait and see."

Dean couldn't find the words to respond.

_Because of the trauma Sam went through..._

That mental wall Dean had built up before, slowly began to crack as he was told this information about his brother. He could feel the grasp on his emotions slipping away by the second.

The dam was slowly breaking.

"Can I see my brother now?" The older brother spoke in a whisper, barely able to get the words out of his mouth. The doctor shot Dean a sympathetic look as he nodded.

"Of course. I'm very sorry I couldn't give you better news." Doctor Harrison said gently as he began walking back down that long hallway, Dean following close behind.

The doctor could practically feel the despair rolling off the older brother in waves and it broke his heart.

"Here's Sam's' room. I'll be back in a little while to check on him." The doctor informed.

Dean didn't bother responding and instead, pushed his way into Sam's room as the doctor left him alone.

Deans' steps halted as he stared at his brother.

Tubes and wires were connected to Sam's body and a white bandage was wrapped around his head. His right arm was in a cast that lay limply by his side.

Dean didn't like the way that Sam laid, so still and pale. If it wasn't for the steady beat of the heart monitor connected to him and the shallow rising of his chest, it almost looked his Sam wasn't even alive.

Dean slowly approached his brother, pulling up a chair with him. He sat down by the bed side and stared at Sam's face. Dean gently pushed back Sam's bangs and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Sammy..." He started shakily, not sure how to start. "I-I'm so sorry..." Dean stopped as a sob rose to his throat. All it took was that one last glanced at Sam's still form...

And the mental wall in his mind came tumbling down.

**Thank you so much to everyone reviewing and reading my story! I love you all! :]**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Thank you all SO much for reviewing and reading! I really appreciate everything you guys do and love you all! :]**

**As a side note...There is an Author's Note Convention happening on July 16th in Roanoke, VA and a couple of my stories have been nominated for awards at the convention! I'm so excited! So it'd be awesome if you guys would check out the website and vote for any of my stories or any other story you see that you like! Haha, so check out the following link and vote, vote, vote! Haha, thanks!**

**www(dot)xenascully(dot)com/nominations(dot)html**

**Anyway, enjoy! :]**

Guilt.

The isolated emotion coursed through Dean's body, making him sick to his stomach. It was almost like there was this heavy weight sitting on his chest and it physically made it hard for him to breath.

Reality was finally processing.

That wall that Dean had worked so hard to build up in his mind came tumbling down the second he saw Sam's beaten body. The second that he realized that he had done this. The second that he realized that he had almost killed his baby brother.

And with that fall, guilt hit Dean like a train. He would never forgive himself for hurting Sam the way he did.

No matter what Dean did for Sam to try and make up for what had happened, he would _never_ forgive himself. Even if Sam did end up forgiving him...which Dean didn't expect him to do...that guilt and regret would always sit on his chest.

How could he had done that to Sam? Out of all people, _Sam_. His kid brother. The one person he had sworn to protect with his life.

Anger.

Not only was Dean being consumed with guilt, but he was downright angry.

He was angry at the witch. He was angry at himself. He was angry at the whole situation.

This wasn't the kind of random fury that had taken over Dean while he was under the witches' spell or whenever he hunted, but the kind of rage that pumped through Dean's veins directed towards himself. He was a failure and it filled him with wrath.

He had failed to break free of the curse. He had failed his dad's orders to keep Sam safe. He had failed his family. He had failed as a big brother.

Hatred.

Undeniable disgust filled throughout Dean. He could honestly say that he hated himself more than anything.

He hated that he hadn't been strong enough to fight off the witches curse. He hated that he remembered everything that happened and had been awake the entire time. He hated that he could still feel every punch and kick that he had hit Sam with. He hated that when he had beaten Sam, he had actually _liked_ it. He liked the feeling of power and strength it gave him.

But what was so much worse than remembering the brutal attack, was that he remembered everything he had said.

Every vicious word he had thrown at Sam. Every lie he had told so sincerely, it became the truth in Sam's eyes. Every blame he had accused Sam of.

Mary and Jessica getting killed, John going missing, living the life they lived.

Dean's eyes welled with tears as the image of Sam's broken expression seeped into his mind.

The deathly silence filling the room was Dean's worst enemy at the moment. Everything was too still and quiet. It left too much room for Dean's mind to wander and that was never a good thing. When his mind ran free, it tended to explore the darker parts of it and then allowed those thoughts to take over. That part of Dean's mind he kept on lockdown at all times. It was where he hid away all his worries, all his fears, all his emotions, all the thoughts he would never bring up in front of anyone, not even Sam. All of his darkest thoughts took over when there was nothing but silence, which is why he embraced any noise that would block out these thoughts.

Dean leaned forward on the plastic chair he sat on, resting his elbows on his knees. He stared at Sam's face, searching for any sign that pointed to his brother becoming conscious once again. He needed to make things right, before these torturous thoughts got to out of hand. He needed to make sure that Sam knew he meant nothing he said.

A knock on the door thankfully pulled Dean out of his mind as he quickly stood up. He stepped protectively in front of the bed out of habit, watching as the door swung open. Doctor Harrison peeked his head in, shooting Dean a small smile.

"Hello Dean." The doctor greeted softly, walking into the room before glancing at his clipboard.

"What's up doc?" Dean questioned.

"Well, I finally got Sam's MRI test back and I'm happy to say that Sam's brain received no trauma from the attack." Doctor Harrison informed, as Dean let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great. So any idea when my brother's gonna wake up?" Dean asked, glancing quickly at Sam.

"Like I said before, there's no way of telling. He will wake up when he's ready."

"Okay. Well, thanks again doc. For everything." Dean thanked gratefully, holding out his hand to shake.

"It's my job." Doctor Harrison responded with a smile, grabbing Dean's hand in his own. "I'm just glad-"

The doctor abruptly stopped speaking and froze in place, staring at his and Dean's shaking hands. Dean furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down to see what the doctor was staring at. His stomach dropped when he caught sight of what had shocked the doc into silence.

Dean's knuckles were bruised, cut and bloody. Blood was imbedded beneath his fingernails and in the fine lines of his hand.

Sam's blood...his baby brothers blood.

Bile rose to Dean's throat as he slowly pulled back his hand and stared down at it, lifting the other to examine it as well. His hands shook as he flipped them over and back several times.

"What happened to your hands, son?" The doctor questioned in a low, grave voice.

Dean couldn't find his voice to respond. Through all of this, he had never thought once about the evidence that would point to him being the one that put Sam in the hospital. He couldn't take his eyes off of his trembling hands.

"I'm not going to ask you again. What happened to your hands?" Doctor Harrison demanded.

"I-I-" Dean stuttered, panic in his voice.

"There you are Dean!" A gruff voice cut in. Doctor Harrison spun around as Bobby came walking into the room.

"Hold on, who are you?" The doctor asked as Bobby took a stand by Dean, who still refused to take his eyes away from his hands.

"I'm their uncle." He said, motioning to the brothers. "You got a problem with that, boy?" Bobby growled, eyeing the doctor.

"No sir." He responded quickly. "But I do have a problem with Dean here."

"And why's that?" Bobby questioned defensively.

"Look at his hands."

Bobby glanced down at the older brothers hands and cursed inwardly.

"What are you presuming here doc?" Bobby hissed.

"I think you know exactly what I think." Doctor Harrison retorted sharply. "When I was examining Sam before, some things just didn't add up. There were several bruises and cuts that looked _days_ old, not hours. Aside from that, Sam's body is covered in scars. And I don't mean a scratch here and there." He informed, looking at Dean who still refused to give eye contact.

"That don't mean nothin'." Bobby argued.

"There wasn't just cuts and scrapes but from the looks of it, he had several knife wounds, burn marks and over a half a dozen bullet wounds."

"The kid grew up in a rough neighborhood. He got picked on a lot."

"I know you want to protect your nephews, but lying isn't going to help. Now, I'm sure if I checked Dean over, I would find similar injuries as well."

Dean finally tore his eyes away from his hands and stared at the doctor.

"What are you saying?" Dean whispered.

"I think you and your brother are victims of abuse."

Bobby and Dean stared at the doctor wordlessly before the older hunter broke the silence.

"Who the hell do you think you are, saying that these boys are abused?" Bobby exclaimed furiously. The doctor held up his hands and took a step back.

"Calm down sir. Now, I've seen the same thing happen in many other abuse cases. I think that Dean and Sam have been abused for years and I firmly believe that it was by their father."

"You have no right talking about my dad like that. He loved me and my brother." Dean seethed, clenching his jaw tightly.

"This is not an uncommon situation. I did some checking up just to be sure and John Winchester has vanished off the grid for several months now. It's been known that a victim of abuse, later on becomes an abuser." The doctor continued.

"You're insane if you think I'd ever lay a finger on my brother." Dean snarled, making the move to get in the doctor's face, but was stopped when Bobby grabbed his arm.

"Look, it's not your fault Dean. You were a victim. But your actions have consequences."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a fucking three year old. Me and my brother were never abused. My dad loved us and protected us all through our lives." Dean growled defensively.

"There's no way you can prove any of this bullshit anyway." Bobby said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wonder if I tested the blood under Dean's fingernails, if it would match up to his brothers'." Doctor Harrison replied. "I'm sorry, and I don't want to do this, but when your brother wakes up, we will have him questioned further."

"There's nothing to question!" Dean shouted.

"You're lucky I don't call the cops right now. But there's no solid proof. Not yet." The doctor retorted. "I'll be back soon." He said before he swiftly left, leaving Bobby and Dean to stare at where he once stood.

"That damn idjit has no idea what he's talking about." Bobby muttered. Dean just shut his eyes as his shoulders sagged and he made his way back to Sam's bedside. "Son, you better wash your hands now."

Dean silently nodded and walked to the bathroom sink.

"Don't worry Dean, I'll make sure things get straightened out." Bobby promised.

Dean began to scrub at his hands, washing away the remnants of Sam's blood. He picked underneath his fingernails until all traces of the beating were gone, besides the bruises and scrapes on his knuckles.

"Did you get rid of the witch?" Dean asked quietly as he came out of the bathroom, sitting down on the chair by Sam's bed.

"Yup. She's six feet under." Bobby responded as he made his way to the window and glanced outside.

"Good." Dean mumbled, staring at Sam's face. "Hey Bobby..."

"Yeah?"

"Uh...Do you-" He stopped talking as he tried to collect himself. Dean quickly brushed Sam's bangs out of his face before he continued. "Do you think I'm still under the witches spell? Am I still dangerous to Sammy?"

"No. I'm pretty sure once the witch bit it, the spell went away." Bobby informed.

"Oh. Okay, good."

"I'm gonna go across the street and get us some coffee. You want anything else?"

"No." Dean mumbled as Bobby nodded and left the room.

And then it was silent again.

"Sammy, I really need you to wake up." Dean pleaded, hoping that talking Sam through this would make him wake up sooner. "Man, I could really go for a chick flick moment right now and I know how much you love those." He joked. "Sam," Dean cut off and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

A knock at the door interrupted Dean as he rose to his feet. He crept over to the door before shooting Sam another glance. He pulled it open and gasped as he took a step back.

"Dad?"

**Please review! Thank you all again! :]**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! **

**Once again, I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my story and sticking with me! I want to let you all know, that I do read every single review and even though I don't get the chance to write back to everyone, I do take what everyone says to heart! As corny as that sounds...Haha, anyway, thank you all so much!**

**P.S. I know I said that this takes place sometime in the first season, so I know it's kinda random for John to be popping in ahead of schedule. But it was a spur of the moment decision to bring John into this fic, so I apologize that this story doesn't exactly coincide with what actually happens in the series.**

**Enjoy!**

John stood at the doorway of Sam's room, tense and alert. Dean looked over his father, seeing the exhausted look in his eyes like he had been driving all night.

When Dean's face came into view, John's expression softened as he took in the state of his oldest son. Deans' green eyes were rimmed red, with dark circles forming underneath. His eyes betrayed no emotion except despair and guilt. His face was pale and his expression displayed pure shock.

"D-Dad...Your here." Dean whispered as John took a step inside the room and pulled his oldest son into an embrace. "Dad, me and Sammy have been looking for you everywhere."

"I know. I'm sorry, but it's good to see you son." John responded, keeping his hand on Dean's shoulder as he took a step back. His gaze moved to the single bed placed in the middle of the room as he made his way towards his deathly still youngest son. "Oh Sammy..."

"Dad, it's all my fault. Me and Sammy were hunting a witch a-and she got the drop on us. The bitch put me under this spell or something and...and I-I don't know-" Dean stammered, following in pursuit of his dad before stopping at the bottom of Sam's bed.

"It's alright son, just calm down. You can tell me what happened later. But what about Sam? What'd the doctor say?" John questioned, sitting down on the chair by the bed.

"Uh, well," Dean started, rubbing the back of his neck. "The doc takin' care of Sam is Doctor Harrison, and he said that-" He broke off when a thought hit him, making his stomach churn.

"What? What is it Dean?" John asked anxiously, abruptly standing up when he saw Dean's expression change.

"Dad, you can't be here."

"What? What are you-"

"The doc thinks that you abused me and Sam. He thinks I did this to Sam!" Dean exclaimed, motioning to his baby brother's beaten body.

"Why the hell would he think that you did this?" John demanded furiously.

Dean clenched his jaw tightly as he wordlessly held up his hands, showing his dad his bruised and cut knuckles with a guilt ridden look in his eyes.

"Shit." John cursed under his breath as he examined Deans' hands.

"There's that, and all of Sam's scars. I mean, we couldn't just tell the doc that Sammy got all those scars from hunting friggin' shapeshifters and spirits. So now he thinks that me and him were both abused by you and-"

Dean stopped talking when the door opened and Bobby came walking back into the room, two coffee cups in hand. Bobby halted at the door, his eyes mirroring the previous shock Dean had.

"John Winchester..." Bobby breathed, setting down the cups. "Son of a bitch...Never thought I'd see you here."

"It's good to see you too Bobby." John sighed, smiling tiredly at the old friend.

"Wish I could say it was under better circumstances though." Bobby sighed as he shut the door behind him. "So how's Sam doin'? Any change?"

Dean silently shook his head as he ran a hand over his face and made his way towards the window.

"Dean told me that the doctor thinks Sam was abused." John said quietly to Bobby.

"Well can you blame the man? Sam is covered in scars, John. If you were him, what would you think?" Bobby pointed out reasonably.

"So what'd we do now?" John questioned, glancing at Sam once again before flickering his eyes to Dean.

"I think it's best if you weren't here when the doc comes back. Why don't you just get a room at a motel nearby and I'll call you if Sam wakes up." Bobby proposed.

"When." Dean cut in quietly, continuing to stare out the window.

"When what?" Bobby asked in confusion. Dean took a deep breath and turned around so he faced the two older hunters.

"_When_ Sam wakes up. Not _if_."

"Look Dean, you gotta face the reality of the situation. No one knows the exact extent of what Sam's body went through. But there's always the chance that Sam won't-" Bobby began, but was cut off by the older brother.

"What?" Dean scoffed incredulously. "That Sam won't wake up?"

Bobby sighed as he shared a look with John.

"Sam's gonna wake up. I'll make sure of it." Dean continued in a low voice as he made his way over to his baby brother and sat in the chair by the bed.

"Can somebody tell me what the hell happened?" John demanded, becoming sick of not being in the loop.

"I'll explain everything once we get you outta here." Bobby replied.

"No, Sam is my son and I want to know what happened to him." John retorted obstinately. "Well?" He snapped when no one responded.

"John, your one stubborn ass, you know that." Bobby barked back. "I think we ought to get our priorities straight here. If the doc comes back while your here, he will have you arrested for child abuse. Now, your no use to anyone in jail. So why don't you swallow your damn pride, and think of what's best for _both_ of your sons!"

Silence took over the room, besides the beeping coming from the heart monitor connected to Sam's body. Dean glanced at his dad and Bobby, sensing a silent showdown going on between the two as they stared at each other, neither backing down.

The older brother returned his focus to Sam and studied his face. One of Sam's eyes was swollen shut and there were several bruises covering his face. There was a cut on his lip as well as one above his right eye. But the injury that made Dean sick to his stomach was the bruising on Sam's neck. Two handprints were clearly visible beneath Sam's chin, bruised onto his skin from when Dean had tried to strangle him.

Dean swallowed the bile that rose to his throat as he shook away the image of Sam pleading for him to stop.

"Fine." John spit out after a long moment. He made his way over to Dean and stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dean, your brother is a fighter. God knows, he's a fighter." He muttered lovingly, thinking back to the endless fights he and his youngest son had shared. "He'll pull through. I know he will."

"I know." Dean responded in a soft voice, as John clapped him on his shoulder.

"Can I have a minute with Sam?" John asked in a quiet voice. Dean glanced up at him before focusing back on his brother. He was torn. He didn't want to leave Sam's side, but he knew his brother would be safe with his dad. Dean nodded wordlessly before standing up.

"I'll be back in a minute Sammy." Dean whispered to Sam, patting his arm gently before making his way out of the room, Bobby right behind him.

John sighed aloud as he sat on the edge of Sam's bed. He softly brushed the hair out of Sam's face, careful not to touch any of his injuries.

"Sammy, I know me and you don't exactly get along or see eye to eye. But...you know I love you." John stopped talking as a lump grew in his throat when he remembered the last time he had spoken to Sam. "I'm sorry Sam. I'm sorry that I made you grow up into this life. I'm sorry I trained you like I was your drill sergeant and you were my soldier. I'm sorry for everything I said to you on the night you left for Stanford. And I'm sorry for not being a father to you. I-I should have supported you...I should have told you how proud I was of you that you got a full ride. I'm _so_ proud of you Sammy...I just hope you know that. And when you wake, I'm gonna make things right. I promise." John whispered.

He gently placed a hand on Sam's cheek before leaning in and planting a kiss on the top of his head. John softly ruffled Sam's hair before standing up and shooting one more glance at his son.

"Wake up soon, kiddo. Dean's just about losing it without you." John finished before making his way out of the room and into the hallway where Dean and Bobby stood. "Dean, I'll be back as soon as Sam's awake, okay."

"Yeah, okay dad." Dean nodded as John shot him a small smile.

"Dean, I'm so proud of you for watching out and protecting your brother while I've been gone. I hope you know that."

"Dad, no, this is all my-"

"I don't care what you did." John cut in, sensing the guilt rolling off of Dean. "But I know it wasn't _you _that hurt Sam. You would never hurt your brother. You need to forgive yourself Dean. I know Sam already does."

Dean was quiet for a moment before he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Okay." Dean whispered for his dad's sake, even though he still blamed himself.

"I'll see you soon, son." John continued, giving Dean's shoulder a squeeze before making his way over to Bobby. "So you wanna tell me what the hell happened?" He asked with expectant eyes. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes, nodding his head to the side.

"Come on, I'll walk you out." Bobby said as the two hunters made their way down the hallway. "Oh, and John?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry for threatening to shoot you full of buckshot." Bobby apologized with a smirk.

"It's okay." John replied with a soft smile as Bobby began to explain what had happened.

Dean watched as his dad and Bobby disappeared around the corner before making his way back into Sam's room. Exhaustion began to creep up on him, but he quickly pushed it back. He grabbed one of the coffee cups Bobby had brought in before and took a long swig, enjoying the burning sensation it gave him down his throat. Dean made his way over to Sam's bed, taking a seat in his plastic chair. He placed the coffee cup on the table by the bed and leaned back, watching Sam's face for movement.

"Sammy, you gotta wake up, man. Dad's back. We can finally start being a family again." Dean urged, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. "Please Sam..."

Sam's eyes remained shut and his face stayed motionless. Dean squeezed his eyes shut tightly and pushed back the tears that unwillingly sprung to his eyes.

"Come on, Sammy. I need my pain the ass brother back." Dean continued, laughing once humorlessly. "Sam, I'm sorry. I should have fought harder. I should have protected you. This is all my fault, man. You gotta wake up, kiddo. I gotta make this up to you somehow. Please Sammy, I need you." He finished, grabbing Sam's hand. "It's my job to keep you safe, and I can't when you won't wake up. Can you hear me, Sam? Come on little brother, I need you."

It was so soft, Dean barely felt it. The small movement of Sam's hand, squeezing Dean's. Dean shot up from his seat and took a firmer hold of his brother's hand.

"Sam, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Dean said, leaning forward and waiting to see if Sam responded.

Again, but stronger this time, Sam squeezed back. A smile broke out across Dean's face as he let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed the remote next to Sam's bed and pressed the help button.

"Come on Sammy, open your eyes."

The nurse Dean had talked to before, Ruth, came walking in.

"Can I help you honey?" She asked in a kind voice.

"Yeah, Sam squeezed my hand. I think he's waking up." Dean explained quickly. Ruth shot him a small smile as she made her way towards the bed. She checked the chart hanging above the bed and nodded.

"His vitals are good. Since he squeezed your hand, it means there is a part of him that is still conscious."

"So is he gonna wake up?" Dean questioned.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I don't know. It's all up to him now."

"What'd you mean?"

"Well, Sam is still very much alive, but his body isn't letting him wake up. He needs to find the strength in his mind to overcome his body's' shutdown or..."

"Or what?" Dean demanded. Ruth gave him a sympathetic look before continuing.

"He'll never wake up again."

**There you have it! Sorry it's so delayed! Thank you all so much for reading! I love you all!**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Again, thank you all so much for all your support! **

**I know I say pretty much the same thing every time I post a new chapter, but I really do appreciate you guys sticking around and reading/reviewing my story! I love each and every one of you! Haha, so I hope you've enjoyed my story so far, but for now, here's the next chapter.**

**P.S. This weekend I watched this movie called Ten Inch Hero, and Jensen was in it. Good lord, he was amazing in it. :] Anyway, I highly recommend watching it if you're in the mood for a heartwarming romantic comedy! It was amazing!**

**Enjoy!**

Three days.

It had been three torturously long days since Sam had shown any sort of sign that he'd be waking up soon.

And it was driving Dean past his breaking point.

He hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep in those three days and the lack of rest was really starting to take a toll on him. But Dean still refused to sleep until Sam woke up from his comatose state.

Bobby was beyond worried for the older brother. The agonizing wait for Sam to wake up was literally killing Dean. Not only did he refuse to sleep, but he also refused to eat. That alone scared the crap out of Bobby.

Dean had only managed to choke down two bites of the bacon cheeseburger Bobby had bought, before he shoved the food away. The only thing the older brother would consume was coffee, and that was only to help keep him awake.

Bobby had even turned to begging, in hopes that his pleas would get Dean to eat or at least sleep for an hour. But stubbornness seemed to run in the Winchester family, because Dean still refused.

The lack of nutrition and rest was becoming more and more visible with each day that passed. Dean's eyes were bloodshot and sunken in. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, giving him the look like he had gotten punched in the face. His skin had paled and became a ghostly white, similar to the color of his unconscious brother.

His entire face seemed to have aged from the worry and guilt eating away at him, making him appear much older than the twenty six years he actually was. The stubble on Dean's chin that he usually kept trimmed had grown thicker, only enhancing the aging look he had acquired.

Dean would occasionally move from Sam's side and to the middle of the room, where he would begin to pace back and forth. He would gnaw at his nails, never taking his eyes off of Sam. When the space between Dean and Sam became too much for the older brother to bear, he would move back to Sam's side.

John had been staying at a motel down the street, anxiously waiting for a call on how his son was doing. He had put up quite a fight about leaving, but in the end, he knew he had to do what was best for Dean and Sam.

Since the doctor believed John had abused his sons, he knew it was best to keep his distance for now. Even though he had plenty of alias's he could whip up, maybe pose for another uncle or something, both he and Bobby didn't want to risk it.

Bobby made sure to never venture too far from Sam's room for too long, just in case anything happened. He had only left the hospital twice, and that was to grab a couple of hours of sleep in the backseat of his car.

His heart broke for the older brother, knowing that if the wait for Sam to wake up was hard for Bobby, it was impossible for Dean.

Bobby didn't know how much longer Dean would be able to hold himself up because of his refusal to sleep. But it wasn't going to take long before the older brother ended up right beside Sam in the hospital due to lack of food and rest.

The doctor had come in to check on Sam several times over the past few days. He would always give Dean this look of accusation, but would make sure to never say anything aloud.

Besides, there wasn't anything that the police could hold the older brother against without any proof. Well, except for his hands. But then again, it wasn't hard evidence. He was going to have to wait for the younger brother to wake and see if he could get any information out of the boy.

This situation was absolute Hell for Dean. Sam was wasting away because of him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Dean felt completely helpless.

"Hey Dean," Bobby's voice suddenly spoke up as he entered into the room. "I brought you some food." He continued softly.

Dean didn't bother responding and continued to speak in a low voice to Sam. Ever since Sam showed signs of waking up, Dean had been talking to his brother, telling him stories from their childhood. Bobby had sat quietly by the window, listening as the older brother spoke.

"Dean." Bobby spoke up again, louder this time. Dean sighed and sat up, glancing at Bobby.

"Yeah?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"You need to eat something." Bobby persisted for the millionth time.

"Not hungry." Dean responded quickly, grabbing Sam's hand and leaning forward, speaking in a hushed voice. "Hey Sammy, remember that cat we found back when we were little? What did you name it...Oh, right! You named it Mr. Whiskers." He paused as a fond smile stretched across his face. "Dad had been on a hunt, so I let you keep the cat for a couple days. God, you loved that damn cat." He mumbled, softly ruffling Sam's hair.

"Dean, I know you want Sam to wake up...Hell, we all do...But you need to take care of yourself too." Bobby continued, becoming more and more concerned with the way Dean was acting.

"Nah." Dean muttered indifferently.

"At least get some sleep. Just a couple hours, that's all I'm asking." Bobby pleaded.

"Nah." He repeated.

"Dean-"

"Look Bobby, I get what you're trying to do, so stop. I'm not sleeping until Sam wakes up, okay?" Dean exclaimed suddenly.

"You're killing yourself, son." Bobby responded in a soft voice.

"Yeah, well I deserve it anyway." Dean retorted under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Sam wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me anyway." Dean said, gently setting Sam's hand down and standing up, ignoring the shakiness of his legs.

"Boy, I swear if you don't stop blaming yourself..."

"I just want him to wake up." The older brother whispered.

"Well, you're no good to Sam if you end up right alongside of him because your too damn stubborn to eat or sleep."

"I'll sleep when he wakes up." Dean said with finality.

"Fine. If you won't sleep on your own, I'll go get some nice men to sedate you, you stubborn idjit." Bobby retorted as he made his way to the door.

"Bobby, come on. You're being overdramatic. I'm fine." Dean said defensively, following Bobby out of the room.

"Overdramatic my ass." Bobby muttered, turning around and facing Dean in the hallway. "What you're doing isn't going to make Sam wake up."

"But-" Dean began to protest, taking a step towards Bobby. Before he could make it far, he stumbled over his feet from disorientation. Bobby grabbed Dean before he could fall on his face and helped him back up.

"Dean, you can barely stand." Bobby sighed.

"Please Bobby, just give me one more day." Dean pleaded. Bobby rolled his eyes and reluctantly nodded, allowing Dean to stand upright before he spoke up.

"I'm gonna go to the motel and check on your daddy." Bobby said before turning on his heels and vanishing down the hallway.

Dean hurried back into Sam's room and took his seat by the bed, grabbing his brother's cold hand.

"Sorry I left kiddo. Bobby was being a mother hen again." Dean sighed with a soft smile. "So, I really need you to wake up Sammy. It's been a couple days and you know how impatient I am." He joked lightheartedly. "You know, you always were such a sleepyhead. Especially when you're sick, but then you're just a moody bitch." He teased affectionately, his eyes wandering towards the window, noticing dark clouds beginning to roll in.

"Jerk."

The voice was so soft, Dean at first thought he had imagined it. But still, the older brother snapped his head in the direction of Sam and gasped, when gentle, hazel eyes greeted him. Dean shot up from his seat, wide eyed as Sam's eyes opened further.

"Sammy?"

"You remember Mr. Whiskers?" Sam croaked in a quiet voice, gazing up at Dean.

The older brother nearly wept with relief, his legs almost giving out from under him.

"Of course Sammy." Dean said as a smile broke across his face. He reached across the bed and grabbed the remote by the table, pressing the help button several times. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake, kiddo. You've been sleepin' for a while."

"Sorry." Sam mumbled as his eyes unwillingly began to close.

"No, no, no. You gotta stay awake Sammy." Dean said with frantic eyes, grabbing his brother's hand. "Come on Sam, just a little while longer. Can you do that for me?"

_Where the fuck was the nurse?_

Sam quirked a small smile and nodded slowly, visibly struggling to stay awake.

"You scared the hell outta me Sammy. I thought I lost you." Dean admitted, trying to keep talking so Sam would stay awake.

"I could hear you, you know." Sam whispered hoarsely. "Talking to me."

"You could?"

Sam nodded silently as his lips curved into a smile.

"Did you seriously sleep with that waitress?" Sam questioned softly, using all his will power to stay awake.

"Yeah...Not my best judgment." Dean snorted, when he suddenly heard the door open. He saw the nurse Ruth halt her steps when she saw Sam's eyes open.

"Oh my..." She gasped as a smile came across her face. "Oh honey, thank god you're awake." She continued before quickly exiting the room, and calling for the doctor.

"M' tired." Sam mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched the nurse bustle away.

"Just stay awake a little while longer Sammy." Dean urged.

Sam's eyes traveled around the room, a look of confusion crossing his face.

Dean studied his brothers' face, trying to decipher what was going on through his head.

Suddenly, Sam's face paled as his memories came rushing back to him. He slowly turned his head and stared at Dean, his eyes instantly filling with tears.

He remembered everything.

Sam remembered every cutting remark and blame Dean had told him. He remembered every punch and kick his brother had dealt out to him. Sam couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach as he met Dean's panicked eyes with his own.

"Sam? Hey, Sammy, you with me?" Dean questioned, not liking the glazed, fearful look that took over Sam's expression. "Sammy!" He exclaimed, gently tugging Sam's face towards him.

Sam gasped, flinching under Dean's touch and pulling away, as his breathing began to pick up.

"Please don't hurt me." Sam begged, squeezing his eyes shut and inching away from his brother as he turned his face away.

Dean's mouth hung open, unsure of what to do. His first instinct was to grab his brother and pull him into an embrace like he use to when Sam was little. Before he could do anything, Doctor Harrison came rushing in with several nurses in tow.

"Dean, watch out." Doctor Harrison ordered, as he side stepped around the shocked older brother and took a stand by Sam's bed. Dean stumbled backwards, never taking his eyes off of Sam. "Sam, you with us?" The doc questioned, leaning over the younger brother.

A tear slid out of the corner of Sam's eye as he peeked open one of his eyes.

"W-Who are you?" He stammered, the heart monitor hooked to his chest beginning to speed up.

Every instinct in Sam urged him to call for Dean, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate because of the fear buried inside of him. It was too much for Sam to handle as he began panicking.

"He's going into shock. The pain is going to be kicking in soon." The doctor said quickly, turning to his nurses. "Get me some morphine and a sedative, STAT." He ordered before turning back to Sam. "Sam, my name is Doctor Harrison. You're in the hospital. I need you to calm down son."

Sam's vision began to fade as his heart pounded in his chest.

"Your brother Dean is here, Sam."

Dean.

That word registered.

"Dean." Sam repeated. "Dean." He said once again, as his brother came into view.

"Sammy, calm down buddy." Dean soothed in a soft voice, making sure to still keep his distance.

Sam's heart began to slow as his breathing returned back to normal.

"Good, just keeping breathing, in and out."

Suddenly, Sam's body jerked as a spasm of pain shot throughout him. He cried out in agony as an overwhelming amount of pain hit Sam.

"Where's the damn morphine?" The doctor demanded as a nurse quickly handed over two needles. Doctor Harrison injected the needle into the IV connected to Sam, before injecting the sedative. The drugs took effect quickly as Sam's body relaxed and his eyes shut.

"W-What just happened?" Dean questioned furiously. "Will he wake up again?"

"He needed the morphine to dull the pain and he needed the sedative to calm down before he hurt himself. He should be fairly relaxed once he wakes up." The doctor informed, before his pager began to beep. "Sorry, I have to take this. I'll have a nurse come in to check on Sam every twenty minutes." He finished in a business-like tone before exiting the room, the nurses following close behind.

Dean was left alone, shell-shocked from what happened.

He knew the physical damage that had been done to Sam was repairable, although it still made him sick to his stomach to look at the bruises and broken bones. But what Dean feared the most was the mental damage he had caused his brother.

And for the first time, Dean wasn't so sure that he could make things right.

**There you have it! **

**As a side note...I am not a doctor. I have no idea what doctor's do. I have no idea what medical equipment doctor's use. So I'm sorry if the medical stuff I had mentioned is completely wrong!**

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! I am super sorry for the delay! I meant to have this chapter up a couple days ago, but my power had shut off randomly, and because of my terrific luck, I lost the whole chapter I was writing. I was pissed, but on the other hand, I _was_ stupid enough to not save it all. Anyway, now that that's cleared up...**

**Thank you all so much for reviewing and sticking with me through this story! I'm thinking that there will only be a couple more chapters before this story comes to a close and I will be starting a new one! So anyway, I love you all! Thanks again!**

**Enjoy!**

An hour after Sam had woken up, Dean was back to where he had been for the past three days: anxious, guilty, and exhausted. He had taken his seat by Sam's side once again, although he didn't know if that was the best decision. Sam was obviously terrified of him and the older brother didn't want to enhance that fear by staying within touching distance. But Dean couldn't bear being too far away from his brother at the time, so he stayed put.

If Dean was being honest with himself, it had killed him inside to have seen Sam cringe away from his touch like he had. Not that he could blame the kid. But it still broke his heart to see Sam so broken because of him.

Dean had called his dad and Bobby to let them know Sam had woken up. They had insisted on rushing over, but Dean urged them to stay put until Sam woke up again. It also gave the older brother some much needed time to sort his thoughts, and he couldn't do that while trying to keep on a brave face for his family.

Sam's eyes moved back and forth underneath his eyelids, indicating that he was dreaming. Dean silently wondered to himself what his brother was dreaming about. Maybe about Stanford? Or even living a 'normal' life? Maybe he was dreaming about Jess. The older brother desperately hoped it wasn't another one of his reoccurring nightmares that had been haunting his sleep for the past few weeks.

Moments later, Sam began to show sign of waking up, before his eyes slowly peeled open. Sam blinked several times to clear his blurry vision, before his eyes landed on his big brother's worried face. The first thing Sam noticed was the pure lack of sleep written across Dean's face.

"Sammy? You with me?" Dean said in a soft voice, studying his brother intently.

Sam blinked a couple more times before coughing once to clear his throat.

"You look like shit." Sam whispered hoarsely. A smile spread across Dean's face as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, well you don't look so hot yourself." Dean retorted gently. His heart swelled when Sam scoffed lightly and rolled his eyes, a typical 'Sam' move.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed suddenly as a look of pain crossed his face.

"Are you in pain? Do you need me to get the doc?" Dean questioned, struggling to keep the panic out of his voice.

"M' fine." Sam lied quickly.

"You've always been a bad liar, Sam." Dean pointed out. "I'm gonna get the doctor. He'll give you some pain medication." The older brother continued in full 'protective big brother' mode, as he got up to leave.

"No!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing Dean's arm with his good hand, the one that wasn't in a cast. "Don't leave yet." He pleaded, pulling out his infamous puppy dog eyes.

Dean took one look at those eyes and crumbled, as he quickly gave in and sat back down in his seat.

_Those damn eyes will be the death of me._ He thought with a sigh.

The brothers sat in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Sam studied the cast around his right arm and he glanced up at Dean.

"So, what's the verdict?" Sam questioned, indicating to his injuries.

Dean cleared his throat before he spoke up.

"Uh, your right wrist was broken, so you'll be in that cast for a few months. You had a severe concussion too." Dean spoke softly, fiddling with his hands on his lap. Sam watched his brothers' anxious movements worriedly as he listened. "Uhm, most of your ribs were broken, but the doc patched you all up. You're gonna be in some pain for a while though." He finished as he twirled the silver band on his right ring finger.

"Great." Sam sighed sarcastically, missing the guilty look that instantly masked Dean's eyes.

"Sammy, I-I can't even begin to-" Dean broke off as he took in a shaky breath. "Sam, I am so-"

"Don't." Sam interrupted quickly.

"What?"

"Don't apologize. You don't need to."

"Sam, I almost kil-" Dean's voice caught in his throat, before he regained composure. "I almost killed you, Sammy." He finished in a hushed voice.

"Dean, I know it wasn't you okay? Please, I don't want you beating yourself up over this." Sam pleaded. He had already forgiven Dean the moment he woke up. The only reason he had freaked out the first time he woke up was because he wasn't sure if Dean was back to himself. It was just instinct to fear his brother after what had happened earlier.

To be honest with himself, he was never even mad at his big brother to begin with. Sam knew Dean would never hurt him intentionally. It had been the witch that caused all of this.

Dean was silent for a moment as he stared at his feet.

"I should have fought harder." He whispered.

"Dean, there was nothing you could have done."

"Well I should have fought harder anyway!" Dean exclaimed. "Then you wouldn't have had to fight for your life in the hospital!"

"Dean-"

"And you wouldn't be afraid of me." He finished in a softer voice. Sam shot his brother a sympathetic look as he opened his mouth to respond. But before he could speak up, the doctor suddenly entered.

"Sam! It's good to see you up son." Doctor Harrison greeted in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, it's good to be awake finally." Sam agreed with a small smile.

"Alright, on a scale from one to ten, how bad is the pain?" The doc questioned, glancing at his clipboard before focusing on Sam.

"Uh, like a four or five."

"Sam..." Dean warned, knowing that his brother was lying yet again.

"Fine." Sam huffed. "Like an eight or nine." He admitted sheepishly.

"Okay, I'm going to give you another dose of morphine in a little bit to numb the pain until it dies down a little." The doc explained.

"But he's in pain now doc." Dean interjected. "Isn't there anything you can give him?" He demanded.

"Dean, I'm-"

"Sam, you're in pain." Dean said, glancing back at the doctor.

"Look Dean, I know you want to make Sam comfortable but giving him too much morphine will do his body more harm than good." The doc said in a calm manner. "Sam, I'll be back later to give you your next dose." He said before exiting quickly.

"God damn doctors." Dean muttered, running a hand over his face. He could feel his body beginning to shut down from lack of sleep, but still fought against it.

"Dude, you look dead on your feet." Sam pointed out worriedly. He really wanted to talk to Dean about this entire incident. Sam really didn't want Dean to feel guilty about what happened. But he knew his brother. Dean was going to bury this guilt deep down and it was going to eat him alive. But by the looks of it, Dean looked as if he was moments from passing out. The inevitable talk would have to wait. "Why don't you head on over to the motel and catch a couple hours."

Dean stared at his brother as if he had two heads.

"I think that knock to your head rattled your brain a little more than I thought." He teased as he settled into the uncomfortable plastic chair. He really _could_ use a couple hours of sleep...

"But Dean-"

"Sammy, you're insane if you think I'm leaving this room." Dean sighed as he propped his feet up on the edge of Sam's bed. "Looks like you're stuck with me." He said with a smirk as he winked at his brother, before he shut his eyes.

Sam smiled at his brother fondly.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

"John, if you don't stop pacing this room, I'm gonna break your damn legs." Bobby growled up at the anxious father.

John didn't bother responding and instead shot the older hunter a glare as he took a seat on one of the beds in the room. "Bobby, Dean should have called by now. What if something happened to Sam?"

"Calm down before you give yourself an aneurysm." Bobby sighed as he adjusted the cap on his head. "Dean will call later." He reassured.

"I'm their father. I'm supposed to be there now."

Bobby resisted the urge to bring up the fact that he hadn't been a descent father in years. Always vanishing off the map, never being there when his own sons needed him the most.

"This is bullshit. I'm going." John suddenly said before Bobby could interject. He jumped to his feet and grabbed his jacket as he made his way towards the door.

"John, get your ass back here." Bobby exclaimed as the father spun around.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're gonna bust in their halfcocked and get yourself caught, you moron!" Bobby yelled as John took this into consideration.

"Well I'm not gonna sit around here with my thumb up my ass. My sons need me." John hissed.

"Yeah, and your sons needed you months ago when Dean was dying! And when they took a case back at your old house back in Lawrence! And when Sam started having visions!" Bobby shouted.

John was silent for a moment as he took this in. Bobby had filled him in about Sam's visions and it scared the hell out of him. He knew that he definitely didn't deserve the 'Father of the Year Award'. But he had taught his sons how to protect themselves.

"Which is why it's time for me to be there for them now." John said quietly as he stormed out of the room.

"God damn idjit." Bobby muttered as he hurriedly followed John out the door.

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

A couple hours later, Dean stirred from his sleep. He felt this incessant tapping on his leg as he jolted awake. His head instantly snapped in Sam's direction and saw his little brother staring at him with big eyes.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean questioned, as he shot up from his seat.

"Uh, Dean, can you-" Sam broke off as he gnawed at the inside of his cheek. "Can you get the doctor?" He asked in a soft voice.

"What's the matter?" He demanded.

"Uhm..." Sam stopped talking as a shade of red came across his face.

"Are you in pain?"

Sam nodded his head slowly as he bit his lip.

"Kiddo, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Dean said gently. "I'll be right back." He said as he quickly left the room. Luckily, the doctor was just down the hall and had exited one of the rooms. Dean jogged down the hall and flagged down the doc.

"Hey doc, can you get my brother some of that morphine? He's in pain."

"Of course. Give me a minute and I'll get the medication." Doctor Harrison said as he fumbled through the pages on his clipboard.

Dean muttered thanks as he hurried back to Sam's room.

"The doc will be here in a minute." He informed as he took a seat by the bed. Sam nodded silently as he clenched his jaw tightly. "You should have woken me up sooner."

"You need sleep." Sam responded instantly.

"But still, you-"

Dean broke off when he saw Sam's eyes widen as he stared at the door. The older brother spun around and saw John standing in the doorway with Bobby peering over his shoulder.

"Sam." John sighed as relief washed over him and he walked inside the room.

"Dad?" Sam gasped slightly.

"You're John Winchester?" A new voice suddenly spoke up. All heads turned to the door to see the doctor standing a few feet away, a glare fixed on John's face.

"Yeah..." John answered warily as the doctor took a step forward.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, John."

**There you have it!**

**For some reason, I didn't really like this chapter. I'm sorry if it's not as good as you expected, but I will try to make up for it in the next chapter!**

**Let me know what you all think! Thanks! :]**

**P.S. Jared and Supernatural totally should have won the Teen Choice Awards that they were nominated for! Those damn vampires win everything! They aren't even vampires! Their douchebags! (In the words of a very wise, Dean Winchester :])This show is so underappreciated, it pisses me off. Okay, I'm done with my rant now. Hahah :] **


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for all your reviews and responses! You guys are so amazing!**

**Next chapter will be the epilogue, so that will be the LAST chapter of this story!**

**Enjoy!**

_Oh shit._ Dean thought in horror as he stood up quickly, subconsciously taking a protective stance in front of Sam's bed. He could already tell things were going to go downhill fast.

"Excuse me?" John snapped, sending the doctor a glare of his own. He had only vaguely gotten the details about the doctors' suspicions against him from Bobby when he had first arrived. John couldn't believe that this guy thought he would abuse his own sons. Although he had to take into consideration that all of the scars on Sam's body _were_ hard to explain. But if this guy thought for even a split second that he could separate John from his sons over just an accusation, there would be hell to pay.

"Wait...What's going on?" Sam cut in with a confused look on his face as he switched his gaze from Deans', to Johns', and then to the doctors'.

"Nothing Sammy." Dean said quickly, as he patted Sam's leg gently, not wanting him to get worked up. "Hey Doc, can me and my dad have a word with you in the hallway." He growled in a low voice.

The doctor tore his gaze away from John and stared at Dean. He nodded once before turning on his heels and stalking out of the room, Dean and John both following close behind.

"I'll wait in here." Bobby called after them as he made his way to Sam's bedside.

"Bobby, what's going on?" Sam questioned in a panicked voice, staring at the doorway.

"Don't you worry about a thing Sam. Your daddy and Dean will take care of everything." Bobby reassured, silently praying that what he had said was true.

Sam bit his lip wordlessly, his eyes never straying from the door.

"I should call security right now." The doctor fumed, spinning around once he reached the hallway to face the father and son.

"What the hell are you talking about?" John retorted quickly.

"You know, you sure got some nerve, showing your face around here." The doctor continued relentlessly, ignoring John completely. "You better have a damn good explanation as to how Sam got all those scars, or I swear I'll call the cops right now and they can question you two under their own terms." He threatened icily.

"What exactly are you saying?" John hissed in frustration.

"I think you know exactly what I'm saying. There is no way that Sam could have gotten all those injuries without having them inflicted on him."

"I already told you! My dad never abused Sam!" Dean shouted, taking a step towards the doctor.

"Dean, easy." John warned in a calm voice, placing a hand on his oldest sons' chest and pushing him back a step. "Now I want you to listen here Doc, because I'm only going to say this once. I have _never_ laid a hand on my son. Either of my sons." He said firmly, his penetrating eyes never leaving the doctors.

"Then how did Sam get all those scars?" He questioned.

"Sam had a rough childhood. He's always been a very smart kid, and he got picked on because of it. Danger always seems to follow him. We had to move around a lot because of my job, so he always got stuck being the new kid." John explained in a skillful manner. "I've always regretted not allowing my sons to have the normal childhood they deserved." He added in a soft voice, as he shot Dean a glance.

Dean stared at his father, partly from awe at his calm and collected manner. And partly because he knew the last part was true.

Doctor Harrison stared at the father, searching his eyes for anything besides the truth, but came up empty. He let out a sigh as he adjusted his glasses, before he spoke up. "Well regardless, two investigators will be here shortly to question Sam about the incident that landed him in the hospital anyway."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute." Dean interrupted. "Sammy just woke up a little while ago. I think the interrogation can wait." He argued defensively, John nodding in agreement.

"I'm sorry, but they insist on doing the questioning now. Look, the sooner this is over, the sooner you all can head home and get on with the rest of your lives." The doctor responded, before the sound of his pager went off. "Excuse me." He dismissed before hurrying down the hallway.

"Unbelievable." Dean muttered under his breath as he faced his dad. "So what do we do now?"

"Let's get back to Sam." John decided, running a hand over his face as the two hunters made their way back to the youngest Winchester.

"What was that all about? What's going on?" Sam asked as soon as his family came into view. When neither John or Dean responded, Sam focused on his brother. "Dean?"

Dean rubbed the back of his neck as he sat down next to Sam's bed. He shot a look at John who stood by the window next to Bobby.

"Dean?" Sam said once again, before the older brother focused on him. "What's going on?" He asked, giving Dean the infamous puppy dog eyes, knowing Dean would crack like he always did.

"Two investigators are gonna come in for questioning soon." Dean finally spilled.

"What?" Sam gasped slightly. "Well, what am I supposed to tell them? What if they think I'm lying? I can't come up with a cover story that makes sense before they come in." He rambled, beginning to panic.

"Sammy, don't worry about-"

"What if they find out everything? What am I supposed to do?" Sam continued as fear began to fill throughout him. The thought of Dean being taken away if the investigators find out what really happened, scared him to his core.

"Just relax son." John cut in, moving to the other side of the bed. "Me and Bobby already thought up a cover story, so as long as you stick to that, everything will be fine."

"Okay." Sam said in a small voice, calmed by the confidence flowing off his dad.

John laid a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder as he shot him a reassuring smile. "Alright, so this is what you're going to tell the investigators."

***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***

Moments later, Doctor Harrison entered Sam's room, followed by two men in suits. The entire room instantly tensed as the mood darkened.

"Gentlemen, this is Agent Morgan and Agent Williams." The doctor introduced, pointing to each of the men. "They're here to ask Sam a few questions."

"Alright, go ahead." John said, crossing his arms over his chest, none of the three hunters making any move to leave the room.

One of the agents cleared his throat as he took a step forward. "We'd like to question him _alone_, actually."

"Like hell you will." Dean cut in. "I'm not leaving this-"

"Dean, don't." Sam interrupted in a quiet voice. "You, dad, and Bobby can just wait outside. I'll be fine."

Dean and Sam shared a long look, a silent conversation taking place between them.

_Sam, I'm not leaving you with these people. _

_Don't be stupid Dean._

_I'm not being stupid. You know how I feel about feds._

_Just wait outside, I can handle them._

_Sam..._

_Please._

"Damn it." Dean whispered, before he took a step towards Sam. "If they say anything or ask you anything you don't feel comfortable answering, just yell. Me and dad will take care of them." He said in a hushed voice as Sam nodded a strained smile on his face. Dean ruffled Sam's hair affectionately before making his way to the door.

"We'll be right outside Sam." John reassured as Bobby ushered the father out of the room. Dean shot Sam one last look before the door was shut in his face.

"Hello Sam." One of the agents greeted with a gentle smile. "We know you went through some pretty tough stuff earlier. My partner and I just want to get a few things cleared up, and then we will be on our way."

Sam swallowed aloud before nodding. "Okay."

"Now, all we want to know is what happened, Sam. Who did this to you?" Agent Morgan questioned as Agent Williams pulled out a pad and a pen. That only spiked Sam's anxiety as he took a deep breath.

"Uh...I don't know who did this."

"You don't know?" Williams repeated skeptically.

"Yeah. Uh, I was walking to the motel me and my brother were staying at and I got jumped." Sam began, fiddling with the strings hanging off the blanket that lay over his body.

"Where were you before you were jumped?" Morgan asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just went out to get some air." Sam said with a shrug.

"Alright, and then what happened?" Williams questioned as he scribbled something down on his pad.

"I don't remember much. I'm pretty sure I blacked out after a while."

"Do you have any idea what your attacker looked like?"

"It was dark. I didn't get a good look at his face." Sam continued, becoming slightly more confident with his story.

"Do you know why you were jumped?" Morgan asked.

Sam scoffed slightly and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was the giant sign above my head that said, 'Hey! I want to be jumped!'" He retorted sarcastically, knowing that his remark would make Dean proud.

"Mr. Winchester..."

"I don't know why I was jumped, okay? Wrong place, wrong time I guess. So are we done?" Sam questioned with hopeful eyes. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week.

"Not quite...We still have a few more questions." Williams said. "Now, your brother...Dean, right?"

"Yeah...What about him?" Sam asked defensively.

"Well, the doctor mentioned that his hands were...suspicious looking."

"Suspicious?" Sam repeated in confusion.

"Yes, there were several cuts and bruises on his hands. Like he had gotten into a fight...Or had beaten up someone." Williams said slowly.

Sam's eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at the agent. "What are you saying?" He growled.

"We know you want to protect your brother...but if he did this to you, don't be afraid to keep it from us. We can help you." Morgan explained.

Sam clenched and unclenched his jaw as he attempted to control his anger. "Leave Dean out of this. He didn't do this to me. If you wanna help, why don't you go out and find the guy that did!"

"Sam, you have to see it from our prospective. Dean could be considered a suspect at this point."

"I'm not going to tell you this again." Sam hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dean did _not_ do this to me. So you leave him out of this."

"So what happened to his hands then?"

Sam's mind raced to come up with a plausible cover story for his brother. "He got in a bar fight the day before." He made up quickly.

"How come?"

_How come you ask so many damn questions?_ Sam thought furiously.

"Because we went out for drinks and this guy wanted to start something with me, so Dean cut in." Sam lied smoothly. It wasn't like that had never happened before, so he wasn't exactly fibbing.

"Sam...we have a witness." Morgan said after a moment.

Sam's stomach dropped as he stared at the agents.

"What?"

"We have a witness who told us that he was attacked by a man at a bar, around the same time you were jumped."

Sam immediately connected the dots as his throat became dry._ The college kid. _

Morgan continued as he opened a file in his hands and read the piece of paper in front of him. "The witness stated, 'A man in his mid-20's approached me inside the bar, before attacking me. We were thrown outside where the assailant threatened me with a knife, before another man in his early 20's intervened.'" He finished as he stared at Sam.

Sam's eye brows furrowed as creases formed on his forehead. He licked his lips once before speaking up. "I don't know what you want me to say. That could have been anyone."

"The witness said that the attackers name was Dean."

"Okay, I'll admit it's a weird coincidence, but that wasn't my brother." Sam argued.

Morgan nodded once before posing yet another question. "So if we brought in the witness, he wouldn't recognize you _or_ your brother?"

_Shit._

Sam cleared his voice before responding. "Look, I'm sure you two have all the information you need. If you don't mind, I'd like for you two to leave."

"Son, answer the question." Williams interjected firmly. "Would the witness recognize you?"

"I think we're done here."

"Sam, answer the question!"

"No he wouldn't, because my brother didn't do this!" Sam shouted in exasperation. He knew he couldn't take much more of the rapid questioning.

"You don't have to be afraid to keep things-"

"What's going on in here?" Dean's voice suddenly cut in as the door swung open.

"Excuse me, but we're not done with the questioning." Morgan protested as the three hunters came barreling back into the room.

"I think you are, actually." John growled as he stood in front of Sam's bed.

Dean immediately rushed to Sam's side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he checked him over. "Hey kiddo, you okay?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah." Sam said, all too quickly while Dean shot daggers at the two agents. _If looks could kill..._

"I think it's about time you two yahoos got a move on." Bobby spoke up from the doorway.

Morgan and Williams shared a long look before they focused on Sam once again. "We apologize if we overstepped our boundaries in any way. My partner and I were only trying to help." Williams began sincerely.

"I know." Sam said tersely, not wanting an apology, but for the two men to just leave.

"But remember what we said...You don't have to be afraid of telling us something." Morgan reiterated, giving Dean a pointed look.

"Er...Thanks," Sam said awkwardly as the two men began to exit. "Uh, wait!" He called after them.

"Something you want to tell us?" Williams asked.

"Yeah..." Sam began slowly, as he glanced at Dean who gave him a confused look. "My brother has protected me my entire life. He's always been there for me...Even when I couldn't count on anybody, I knew I could always count on Dean. And I'm sure that if I hadn't had Dean by my side while growing up, I probably wouldn't have made it out of my childhood alive. Anyway, I mean it when I say that Dean would _never_ intentionally hurt me in any way." He finished, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two agents.

Dean felt his heart swell as a lump grew in his throat. He pushed back the tears that pooled his eyes as he stared down at his baby brother.

"We understand. Once again, we're sorry for our intrusion. If we hear any news on the guy that did this to you, we'll notify you immediately." Williams said with a nod, making a silent peace offering.

Sam shot the agent a small smile before the two men exited the room without another word.

A wave of relief instantly flowed throughout the room.

"I'm gonna head on back home." Bobby said after a moment of silence. He sensed a 'family moment' coming on, and didn't want to intrude. "Once Sam gets checked out, you three come on over."

"Okay, and thanks Bobby." John thanked gratefully.

"Anytime." Bobby responded, as he clapped John on the back before leaving the Winchesters alone.

John took a deep breath before he took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Me and you had one hell of a fight last time we saw each other, huh Sammy." John started awkwardly as Sam nodded in agreement.

"Yes sir."

"Look son," John continued, laying a hand on Sam's arm. "That night, I was so caught up in the fact that I wouldn't be there to protect you anymore...I never told you how proud I was of you Sam. I'm so, so proud of you son, and I wish I had told you that when you first showed me the letter. And I'm sorry Sam. I never wanted this for you. For either of you." He said, motioning to Dean. "When your mother passed, all I could focus on was killing the son of a bitch that killed her...But I never thought of what it would do to you two. I know I raised you boys like soldiers, and for that I'm sorry. I just want you both to know how proud I am of you."

"Thanks dad." Sam said, pushing back the lump in his throat. John smiled as he laid a hand on Sam's cheek, before standing up and making his way towards the window, allowing his sons to work through the rest of their own problems.

"Sammy..." Dean began, his voice gruff with emotions. Sam turned his head and stared up at his brother, with a small smile etched on his face. The two brothers didn't say another word as yet another silent conversation took place.

John glanced between his sons, a sense of love filling throughout him. That bond between his boys was something that never ceased to amaze him.

"Sam, I'm sorry." Dean said after a few moments. "You know I would never hurt you-"

Sam clasped a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed softly. "Dean, stop apologizing. I know it wasn't you and I know you'd never hurt me. There's nothing for me to forgive you for."

"Did you really mean what you said before?" Dean asked in a quiet voice, referring to the kind, sincere words Sam had spoken before about him.

"Of course, man. I've felt like that my entire life." Sam answered honestly.

"Thanks Sammy." He replied in a soft voice, as he ruffled his brother's hair gently.

"So Dean, I need you to do just one thing for me."

"Sure Sam. Anything."

"I need you to forgive yourself." Sam said in a pleading voice with big eyes.

Another moment of silence took over as the two brothers shared a long look, their father watching the interaction quietly.

"You're such a girl." Dean smirked, although he took what Sam said to heart.

"Way to ruin the moment, jerk." Sam sighed, rolling his eyes in the process, yet he couldn't seem to keep a smile off his face.

"Anytime, bitch."

**Alright, there you have it!**

**Please review and let me know what you think! :]**


	15. Epilogue

**Hey everyone!**

**Wow...I cannot believe that this is the last chapter! I just want to thank each and every one of you for all your support throughout this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all!**

**Like I said, this is the LAST chapter, so keep an eye out for upcoming stories and whatnot. Hahaha :]**

**I know I sound like a broken record saying this, but I really do appreciate the support I received and cannot thank you enough!**

**P.S. I meant to have this chapter out a few days ago, but unfortunately, I live on the East Coast and due to Hurricane Irene...damn her...I lost power for a few days. So sorry for the delay!**

**Enjoy!**

2 weeks later

"Dean, really, I'm fine." Sam sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "Why don't you go out for a little while, man. Bobby said he needed help with some of those crap cars out back. Or you could grab a drink at the bar." He proposed, trying to keep the sound of desperation from his voice.

"Nah." Dean dismissed quickly as he adjusted the blanket that covered the lower half of his brothers' body. "Are you still cold? Do you want some more blankets? What about soup? I can make you a bowl of soup to warm you up. I think Bobby's got some tomato soup in the fridge. Or I could whip up some chicken noodle soup, if you want. I know how much you love chicken noodle."

Sam took a deep breath and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "For the thousandth time Dean, I'm good. Really."

God knew how much Sam loved his brother, but ever since he had gotten out of the hospital, Dean had been glued to his side every second of the day. He just needed a little space for a minute.

"Are you sure? I can make you something else if you want." Dean pressed, reaching behind Sam's head to fluff his pillow.

Sam swatted his brothers' hand away with his non-casted hand, as his patience thinned. "Seriously dude, quit hovering." He groaned exasperatedly.

"What about the pain, Sammy? Do you need your pills yet?" Dean asked as he glanced at the watch on his wrist, mentally calculating the last time he had given Sam his meds.

"Dean!" Sam yelled frustration.

Dean shot his brother a puzzled look at his outburst. "What? What's wrong?"

"Look Dean, I get that you want to be here for me and help me out and everything, I do. And thank you for that, really. But man, you're suffocating me. I just-...I just need a little room to breathe." Sam sighed in a gentle voice. "And I think it'd be good for you too to get out for a little while."

"Sam, you're my responsibility. I'm not leaving you alone here." Dean retorted adamantly.

"But I'm not alone, Dean. Bobby's here, remember?"

Dean scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest as sat on the edge of the couch Sam laid on. "Yeah, well Bobby can't take care of you like I can."

"You're right, Dean, he can't. But I think I can manage a couple hours without you. Besides, you're running on empty, man. You've barely slept or ate anything." Sam continued softly.

"I'm fine, Sammy."

"No Dean, you're not. Ever since dad headed out-"

"Sam." Dean growled in warning.

"You've been on protective big-brother overload." He finished, ignoring his brother's interjection.

Sam had been released from the hospital about a week ago. Doctor Harrison had allowed the young hunter to leave on two conditions. 1. That he would oblige to the rule of staying on bed-rest for at least three more weeks. And, 2. That he would come back to the hospital in a month for one last checkup. After agreeing to the terms, Sam had been able to leave with Dean and John by his side.

His wrist was still stuck in a cast from the break and his ribs still hurt like a bitch. Sam couldn't move without being subjected to sharp pains from his torso, so bed rest was like music to his ears.

Every wince or hiss of pain that escaped Sam's lips was like a dagger to Dean's heart. He still hated himself for not being strong enough to fight off the witches curse, and deep down, he probably never would forgive himself. Although he knew Sam forgave him, it hadn't erased the aftermath of the trauma for the youngest Winchester.

_"I can't take this anymore." Sam groaned as his head flopped against the pillow behind him. "I've been staring at the same damn walls for the past two weeks and it's driving me insane."_

_Dean quirked a smile as he stood up from his seat and headed towards the window. He pulled back the curtains and surveyed outside. "Well, at least this is your last day in the hell hole. As soon as dad signs your release papers, we can get out of here."_

_"Where is dad anyway?" Sam questioned._

_"He went to go pull the Impala around front." Dean replied as he made his way back to his brother. "So, what'd you say kid? Ready to head outta here?"_

_Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm 22. I'm not a kid anymore."_

_Dean shot his brother a cheeky grin before speaking up. "I don't care what you say, you'll always be my snot nosed little brother." He teased good-heartedly._

_"Great. Thanks Dean, thanks." Sam muttered sarcastically, with a smile of his own on his face._

_"No problem, Sammy." Dean retorted lightly, before reaching in to ruffle his brother's hair as he had always done since Sam was a baby._

_Before Sam could stop himself, he subconsciously flinched and moved away as Dean's hand neared his head. He hadn't meant to cringe away from his brother, but it was as if on instinct._

_A heavy silence took over as Dean slowly pulled back his hand, heart-break written all over his face. Dean knew Sam was still afraid of him, even if he wouldn't openly admit it, but to see his brother actually recoil away from him..._

_Sam opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out, leaving his mouth gaping like a fish._

_"M' sorry." Dean mumbled, his voice gruff and laced with despair. He slowly backed away as he shoved his hands in his pockets, before turning around and leaving the room._

_"D-Dean..." Sam called after his brother softly, but it was too late. He had already left. Sam felt tears pool his eyes as he squeezed them shut tightly. Guilt spread throughout him at the image of Dean's broken expression._

_"Sam?"_

_Sam's eyes snapped open and saw John standing in front of him, peering at him with concern._

_"Sam, you okay? Why's Dean standing in the hallway?"_

_Regardless of what had happened, Sam's heart swelled. Dean still remained near Sam no matter what. The youngest Winchester swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking up. "Uhm, yeah, I'm good. And I think Dean's just gonna wait out there."_

_"Alright..." John said slowly, figuring that whatever was going on between his sons would get worked out without him. "Oh, and those two agents got in contact with me while I was outside. I was wondering why the feds were in town anyway, or why they'd be interested in what happened to you. Apparently, some people had gone missing earlier and they were here to check around. They thought you were a victim, but got away, so that's why they wanted to question you."_

_"Really?" Sam said in shock. "Wow...Well do they know what happened to those people?"_

_John shook his head as he rubbed the stubble of his beard. "No, but I'm guessing that witch had something to with it. Bobby ganked her though, so we should be good to go."_

_"Okay."_

_"I just need to sign your release papers and then we can get the hell out of here."_

_"Sounds good." _

_John nodded once before exiting the room, leaving Sam alone. _

_He took a deep breath, wincing when the strain stretched his ribcage. Clenching his jaw tightly, Sam used every ounce of strength he had to maneuver himself into an upright position. When the pain became too much to bear, Sam fell back down, leaving him breathless and hurting._

_"The doc said not to strain yourself, Sammy."_

_Sam's head snapped towards the door, to see Dean leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. They stared at each other for a moment before Sam spoke up._

_"Dean, I am so-"_

_"Don't. Please don't Sammy."_

_"But I didn't mean-"_

_"I know, man. Not your fault." Dean interjected quickly, shrugging his shoulders. He made his way to Sam's side and gave him an expectant look. Sam nodded as Dean wrapped his arm around his brother's back. Slowly, Dean helped his brother into a sitting position as Sam tossed his legs over the side of the bed._

_"Thanks Dean." Sam said, slightly winded._

_Dean just smiled as he took a step back, not wanting his presence to freak Sam out._

_"Hey, you wanna grab my shoes over there?" Sam asked, nodding towards the door. Dean quickly grabbed the shoes and handed them over to Sam._

_Sam stared at his shoes and then to his feet. There was no way he was going to be able to put his shoes on without inflicting even more pain. A thought hit him, and he knew a way to mend things with Dean and accomplish the simple task of tying his shoes._

_"Hey Dean...do you mind?" Sam questioned, indicating towards his shoes as he shot his brother the puppy dog eyes._

_A smile broke out across Dean's face as he got what Sam was doing. God, he loved the kid. "Alright, alright. You can put away the big guns, your highness."_

_A goofy grin was plastered on Sam's face as he handed his shoes to his brother who crouched down in front of him. He felt like he was four years old again._

_"You have Sasquatch feet, you know that?" Dean teased lightly, as he placed Sam's foot on his knee after putting on his shoe. He tied the shoe, making sure it wasn't too tight before switching feet._

_"Yeah, I know." Sam chuckled as he watched Dean tie his other laces. Although Dean's hands were rough and calloused, they had a gentleness to them._

_"There you go, Cinderella." Dean joked, as he placed Sam's feet down and stood up._

_"Thank you, Fairy God Mother."_

_"Whoa, whoa whoa. There's no way in hell I'm the fairy god mother." Dean protested as he took a seat besides Sam on the bed. "Besides, if I was, I'd Bippity, Boppity, Boo you into a chick...Or maybe even a clown."_

_Sam let out a laugh, as he rolled his eyes. "You're such a jerk."_

_"You wound me Sam." Dean said in mock hurt, as he placed a hand over his heart._

_"Thanks Dean. Really, thanks." Sam said sincerely after a moment, sharing a long look with his brother._

_Dean shot his brother a smile as he stood up. "Anytime Sammy." He replied, as he leaned in a ruffled Sam's mop of hair, grinning even more when Sam didn't flinch. "Anytime."_

"Yeah, I have been protective because it's my job!"

"I know, and thank you for that, but I just need to breathe for a minute!" Sam shouted in exasperation.

"What? So you don't want me around?" Dean asked, trying to mask the hurt from his eyes. "You want me to leave, like dad?"

"No! No, of course not Dean!" Sam reassured. "I'm just saying, I think that because dad left, you feel like you have to be extra protective. Like you have to take on both roles of father and big brother."

"It's because I do." Dean retorted instantly. "I have since the day mom died."

Both Dean and Sam were surprised that their dad had lasted for as long as he did without bailing. But they could both tell that John was getting antsy, first being cooped up at the hospital and then at Bobby's house. He had helped out with Sam as best he could, but what Sam needed most was rest. So with nothing to do, John had gotten impatient. That hunter within him was waiting to be let out once again.

And after John had gotten a call from an old hunting friend about some gun that he could use against the yellow eyed demon, he decided it was time for him to hit the road. He promised to call them every day and to keep them posted on what he was doing.

Although Dean and Sam had called that bullshit on the spot, there wasn't anything they could do to stop him.

Sam hadn't minded as much as Dean, which was new. Dean had been pissed at his dad for leaving Sam when he needed his father the most. But to Sam, as long as he had Dean, he would be fine.

"Dean, we both knew dad wouldn't stick around." Sam said softly.

"He should have stayed though."

"Hey, we've been basically on our own our whole lives, so why should this be any different?"

"I guess." Dean muttered gloomily.

Sam sighed before he nudged Dean with his foot. "Me and you against the world, right?" He asked with a child-like grin.

Dean glanced down at his brother gazing up at him with big eyes. He felt a soft smile grow on his face as he laid a hand on Sam's' leg and gave him a pat. "Me and you against the world, kiddo."

And no matter what, that's the way it would always be.

**There you have it! The last chapter! **

**Thank you all so much for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I loved writing it!**

**Let me know what you guys thought!**

**Thanks again! :]**


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